What We Became
by Twilight016
Summary: Anya's family is tragically taken from her and her mother's lies exposed. While Anya deals with the consequences of her mother's actions, she keeps her own secrets that could destroy her remaining relationships but make her a key ally in the looming war. AU book verse. Family/Drama/Romance. CedricXOFC.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all.**

 **Attack on respected family leads to Azkaban, death**

 _Many questions still remain after the mysterious attack on the Thorn residence that left Mrs. Charlotte Thorn, 54, dead and her daughter Ms. Lilith Thorn, 29, in Azkaban._

 _On Christmas Eve, a team of aurors led by James Potter arrived at the Thorn residence to find the east wing in flames and the residents nonresponsive. The only witness to the attack was the family's house elf, who has not been permitted to speak to the press._

 _While the Ministry has yet to confirm anything about the attack or alleged attacker, an anonymous inside source claims Ms. Thorn's arrest is due to recently discovered ties to the Death Eaters. The source explained that documents found in Ms. Thorn's possession are similar to documents found in a locker at St. Mungo's 15 years ago. Allegedly, the documents contain information regarding a rash of newborn disappearances from the maternity ward during 1981._

 _When pressed about why these disappearances were covered up (the Prophet has no record of any missing newborns from the time in question), the anonymous source said the documents hadn't been discovered until after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's downfall and "never believed anything would come of it."_

 _To date, at least 20 newborns born in St. Mungo's in 1981 have been connected to Ms Thorn. Since Ms. Thorn only has one known child, who is likely one of the kidnapped infants (see page 6), it is likely the other children are long-since deceased. Ms. Thorn is known for her genetic experiments with magical creatures and it is believed she was using these talents to aid He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's efforts during the war._

 _Ms. Thorn's trial is set for the end of January, where the truth of her horrendous deeds will finally come to light and justice will be served for all of her innocent victims. Anyone with any knowledge of these kidnappings is urged to come forward._

 _Unlike her daughter, no ties have been found to connect Mrs. Thorn to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or the Death Eaters. Indeed, she lived a quiet life devoted to her family and community. She is preceded in death by her husband Benjamin Thorn, eldest daughter Cecil, and eldest son Thomas — both children were killed during the war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. She is survived by her youngest son and Ministry employee Benjamin Thorn Jr., his wife Prudence Thorn, and granddaughter Anya Thorn, who is a sixth year at Hogwarts._

 _A funeral and memorial service for Charlotte Thorn will be held Thursday, January 2, 2-6p.m. at Mr. Thorn's residence. All who wish to pay their respects are welcome to attend._

 **Sole kidnapping survivor's true family revealed**

 _Christmas just keeps on giving. If the behind-the-scenes look at the Yule Ball, the reveal of a giant teaching at Hogwarts, and the alleged Death Eater attack on the Thorn Manor wasn't enough, get ready for the next bombshell: Anya Thorn's true identity._

 _In order to rectify its either oversight, the Ministry has worked tirelessly over the last several days to identify the missing newborns and their families. (It should be noted that their success is mostly due to Ms. Lilith's Thorns detailed notes that, according to reliable sources, contained the dates of birth and family names of the stolen infants.)_

 _Though the true victims of Lilith Thorn's crimes have all been identified, only one can be located. Confirming previous speculations, Anya Thorn has been identified as the final kidnapped infant._

 _Upon the downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Lilith fled to the protection of her mother's home with the then one-year-old Anya. For the last 15 years, Anya has been raised as a true member of the Thorn family and is successful, sixth-year Slytherin at Hogwarts. Family friend and neighbor Mrs. Victoria Greengrass describes the girl as "studious yet graceful. She made the family proud."_

 _So what, dear readers, is to become of this poor girl with no real family to claim her?_

 _Fear not, for the Ministry has — unbelievably — figured it out._

 _Though tampered with by strong magic, Ministry officials (and possibly Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore) discovered the date of Anya's birth was not May 25, 1981, but is July 31._

 _If this date seems familiar to you, it is because it is the birthday of The Boy Who Lived, the famous Harry Potter._

 _Coincidence?_

 _No, dear readers, it's not. Further review of the birth certificate revealed Anya's birth parents to be James and Lily Potter, making her Harry's twin sister!_

 _Though she may have found her true family, it may not be the fairy tale ending we all want for the girl. After all, a Death Eater raised her for 15 years while possibly (most likely) performing unnatural experiments on her. We can only hope that Anya is able to overcome any darkness in her past._

* * *

Anya sat at the Slytherin table absolutely livid. Twirling her wand, she stared at the open Daily Prophet on the table before her. She had only learned the results of the certificate examination last night from Dumbledore. She knew he nor her uncle or James would have leaked it, so it must have been someone within the Ministry. Fortunately, the complete collection of her mother's research was safely hidden at her uncle's home and hadn't been confiscated by the Ministry, but Rita Skeeter had done a decent job of filling in the blanks. But none of that mattered. Her life was shattering around her and on display for all of her classmates' amusement, for the second time that week.

"You're pissed; we get it. Put your wand down!"

Looking up, Anya finally noticed her mood was affecting the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. Instead of the sunny winter sky, it was now overcast with a strong, cool breeze filling the Hall. She shot Katrina an apologetic look as she set her wand down.

"Thank you," Katrina sighed, working to fix her dark red hair, which now hung in lifeless waves as opposed to the loose curls she had styled it in that morning. With a quick flick of her wand, her hair returned to its usual coiffed state.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to mess up your look."

"You should be more careful," Katrina said, pretending she hadn't heard Anya's quip, "with Rita Skeeter snooping around for her next big scoop. Honestly, I'm surprised she doesn't know about your occasional temper tantrum."

Anya rolled her eyes. "They aren't tantrums. They're temporary losses of control over my magic, and they're not as common as they used to be."

"Is that what you call The Incident?" Katrina challenged, clearly enjoying herself.

"In a sense, just a more extreme loss of control that, might I had, encouraged Malfoy and his cronies leave us alone since first year."

"And made you, me, and Amethyst life-long friends," Katrina added. "Which is the most important part of The Incident."

Anya felt herself smile despite her anger over today's top news stories. Katrina Sloan had been Anya's best friend since they met on the Hogwarts Express. Even though Katrina often joked that is was Anya's role in The Incident that cemented their friendship, it was really due to Katrina being Katrina. She was an almost scary mix of stubborn, bold, and intelligent, and had a talent for making everyone like her. Like Anya, however, she had a bit of dark side. While Anya wouldn't say she was mean, Katrina could be a little cruel, though unintentionally. But even Anya could be cruel when provoked or, sometimes, bored.

Anya and Katrina often joked that Amethyst Croft, the third member of their group, made up for their shortcomings. Amethyst was almost annoyingly kind and would make friends with just about anyone, including those she was better off not knowing. However, it was her kind and calm nature that kept the friendship alive as she mellowed the tempers of her friends and forced them to be better than they were often inclined to be. Anya wished Amethyst had been able to stay for the Yule Ball instead of going home for the Christmas holiday. She could use her friend's calm rationale right now.

"How'd she even get this?" Anya asked, referring to the two _Prophet_ articles.

Katrina shrugged. "No idea. So… how much of it is true?"

Checking around for eavesdroppers, Anya leaned over the table and quietly said, "Most of it."

"You were kidnapped?"

"Yes."

"Did you know?"

"No."

"Are you really Potter's twin sister?"

"It appears so."

Katrina paused their rapid-fire interrogation as a couple of fourth years walked by, but they were too engrossed in their own conversation to pay attention to Anya validating the _Prophet_ 's claims. They were a rare pair since most of the occupants in the Hall kept shooting inquisitive looks in Anya's direction and whispering as they passed.

"Did your mom you know, really experiment on you?"

"No," Anya answered without hesitation. "She told my uncle that her research was interrupted before she got around to it."

"Well, doesn't that make feel all warm and fuzzy inside?" Katrina asked sarcastically.

"Yeah," Anya said with a defeated sigh. "Please don't say anything. I'd like to keep this private as long as possible."

"Of course. How are you doing, by the way? I mean, first your grandmother and now this mess. I just can't imagine what you must be feeling."

"Overwhelmed mostly," Anya said honestly. She felt tired, too, but she didn't want to bring up all that was tired. Especially since one of the things she was tired of was lying to everyone, including Katrina. She was proud and ashamed at how well the lies and excuses came to her and how easily she spoke them. It should have been harder. She supposed she was more of a Slytherin than she had realized. "And dreading whatever fallout is coming. Skeeter's articles are just the beginning."

"You're probably right," Katrina conceded, absently pushing her food around her plate. "But maybe getting to know your brother and dad won't be so bad?"

"Maybe. Listen," she said, spotting the person she needed to talk to and most wanted to avoid enter the Hall. Luckily, he was surrounded by his friends and she could sneak out without him noticing her if she moved fast. "I need to run to the library and pick up some books for an Ancient Runes paper. Do you mind if I bail on breakfast?"

"No problem. I'll definitely enjoy the rest of my food without gale force winds blowing everything around," she teased.

Anya smiled gratefully as she stood up from the table and made a quick exit from the Hall. She tried to ignore it, but she doubted her exit was as subtle as she would have hoped since everyone turned to gawk at her as she walked up the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. It had only been a few days and she was already sick of the attention. She found herself wishing for classes to start so they would all be distracted with school and the tournament.

She was almost to stairs in the main corridor when someone behind her shouted, "Hey freak! Where are off to in such a hurry?"

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Anya turned around to face whoever was yelling at her. She felt her stomach drop when she saw whom it was: Ezra Greengrass was her former best friend and ex-boyfriend. They had gone out for a few months during their fifth year, but it hadn't been a good relationship. They fought constantly and his jealousy and insecurities finally became too much for her. Sadly, Ezra hadn't taken the breakup well and their friendship hadn't recovered. She rarely saw him now, despite being in the same year and House. They had gone from being almost family to absolutely nothing. Sometimes Anya missed him and his sisters, who had essentially forbidden contact with, but he was becoming someone she couldn't be with — as friends or anything else.

Now he stood before her a disheveled mess and wearing a nasty sneer, a look she had never before seen on him. He hadn't even bothered to comb his dark hair or change his clothes from yesterday; and his bloodshot blue eyes told her he was hungover if not still drunk. Seeing him like this, even though he hated her, hurt. She forced herself to not feel guilty about his current state. She hadn't done this to him; he'd made his own choices.

His initial outburst had drawn the attention of everyone in the corridor, and they eagerly waited to see what would happen next. Anya had to be careful not to lose control, but it would be difficult. She was wound tight already and Ezra always knew how to push her over the edge.

"Off to the Hospital Wing to get tested?" he asked, his sneer growing more pronounced. "Going to find out just what your dear mummy turned you in to?"

"Fuck off, Ezra," Anya warned, her right hand clenching around her wand. "You're drunk. Again."

He scoffed. "So? At least I'm human."

"Shut up!" she snapped.

"Why? I'm right, aren't I?" he pressed, stopping about five feet in front of her. The crowd around them was growing as students walked out of the Great Hall, finished with breakfast. "And who will want a freak like you now? Your uncle's not even your real uncle, and your real family hates everything to do with Slytherin and You-Know-Who. Not even Diggory —"

" _Flipendo!_ "

Ezra succeeded in pushing her too far. Unfortunately for him, Anya sent him flying backwards across the hall. He landed ten feet away with a loud thud, moaning instantly about his head. She cursed under breath, frustrated with herself. Surprisingly, the onlookers broke out in cheers, but were quickly silenced by Snape's sudden appearance.

"That's enough. If you all aren't out of this corridor in the next five seconds, I'll start deducting points." Snape commanded, his tone quiet and threatening. Wanting to avoid angering Snape further, everyone scattered except for but Anya and Ezra, who pushed himself off the floor in the most pathetic manner possible. Turning his attention to his two students, Snape continued in his slow, menacing drawl, "Mr. Greengrass and Ms. Thorn, ten points from each of you for dueling. Mr. Greengrass, a further 10 points for drinking on school grounds. Ms. Thorn, come with me to my office."

"But Professor," Ezra spluttered, still clutching his head, "she —"

"I suggest you remain silent unless you want a week's detention," Snape warned. "Perhaps you should go to the Hospital Wing for your head, seeing as how it's bothering you so much."

A glaring Ezra closed his mouth and began climbing the stairs, leaving Anya to follow Snape to his office.

They walked to Snape's office in silence, Anya bracing herself for the barrage of insults. Snape may have showed favoritism to the Slytherins in public, but that favoritism didn't extend to in-house situations. He could be just as horrible, if not more so, when the Slytherins screwed up. The last time Snape summoned Anya to his office, she had left with two weeks of detention and an extra potions essay. She wondered what fresh hell he would come up with this time.

"Sit," Snape directed as he rounded his desk to sit in his chair. Anya resisted the urge to dramatically plunk down into the seat, instead sliding gracefully into the seat. Her grandmother would be proud — though she'd be more proud if Anya hadn't lost her temper in the first place.

"Ms. Thorn," Snape started, his usual drawl infused with a hint of annoyance, "I know you're under a great deal of stress given recent events but I believe we've discussed this behavior before?"

"We have?" Anya asked, playing dumb. She was already in trouble; she might as make it worth it. His irritated stare prompted her to continue. "Oh, you mean that _one_ time in first year where I accidentally sent Malfoy to the hospital for a week? I have mentioned that he was tormenting other first years, right?"

"You did. However, I know you are an intelligent and capable student and expect you to resolve issues without attacking your fellow students. As a sixth year, I also expect you to have better control over your temper and not embarrass the Slytherin House."

Practicing self-control, Anya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah, well, sometimes people just aren't what you expect, are they?"

Snape surveyed her coolly for a moment, making Anya just the slightest bit uncomfortable. She had a weird feeling that he was trying to read her thoughts. She had no doubt he could, but it must be illegal to do on a student.

"I can't let this behavior go unpunished," he finally said. "However, due to the recent upheavals in your life, I can afford to be lenient. Another ten points from Slytherin and three nights of detention to be completed once the term recommences. You may go."

Anya remained frozen in her seat, completely stunned. Was Snape actually being nice? Well, nice for him anyway. The only student he had ever been lenient was Malfoy, and everyone in Slytherin was sure Malfoy's father was paying for Snape's favoritism.

"Is there are a problem, Ms. Thorn?" Snape asked, pulling a stack of parchment in front of him.

"No, sir," she said, standing up and walking toward the door before he could change his mind.

"Do try to keep your temper in check, Ms. Thorn. I expect Mr. Greengrass will be the first of several to harass you about the claims from the _Prophet_ ," Snape warned.

"Yes, sir," Anya said with a nod as she exited his office. Now if she could only make it to the library and hide out there for a few hours.

* * *

"How is she getting this stuff?" Harry asked at the Gryffindor table, referring to the Rita Skeeter articles in the _Prophet_. "I only found out last night from my dad — who was here. Skeeter's not even allowed inside the castle."

Harry had been eating breakfast with Ron, Hermione, and Neville when Hermione had received her edition of the _Daily Prophet_. She had nearly choked upon reading the clip about Anya's true parentage. Harry had, of course, told Ron and Hermione after talking to his dad. Though James had asked him not to say anything, Harry knew that he could trust Ron and Hermione. His dad had also told him to act as he normally would and not approach Anya first, afraid it might overwhelm her.

"I don't know, but I'm sure Dumbledore is furious," Hermione said, rereading the article for clues of who the mysterious source was.

"So it's true?" Neville asked nervously. "She really is your twin sister?"

"Yeah, she is," Harry said, glancing across the Hall at the Slytherin table. He could see Anya in deep conversation with a dark redheaded girl toward the end of the table. She seemed completely unbothered by the stares and whispers directed at her from around the Hall. Harry wondered how she could be so unbothered given what the paper had written about her. Not only was her connection to the Potters exposed, but also Skeeter had strongly suggested Anya was kind of living science experiment.

"She's not so bad for a Slytherin," Neville supplied helpfully. "She's helped me a lot in potions over the years. Honestly, I'm surprised no one noticed it sooner. You two do look a lot alike."

"Isn't her entire House afraid of her?" Ron asked, sending a scrutinizing glance to the Slytherin table.

Neville shrugged. "I don't think the entire House but yeah, a lot seem to keep their distance. Not even Malfoy messes with her."

This bit of information caused Ron to smirk in amusement. "Maybe she's not so bad after all."

"Ron! Could you try to be less like your usual insensitive self?" Hermione admonished. "I'm sure she's not bad at all."

Ron muttered something no one caught and turned his attention back to his breakfast, stabbing his sausage in a slightly aggressive manor.

"Do you think I should go talk to her?" Harry asked, ignoring Ron's hurt feelings for the moment.

"No, I don't," Hermione sighed, sounding tired. "Do what your father said and give her some time to process all of this. She's lost a lot in the last week and doesn't quite need to address having a whole new family right this minute. Merlin, you're both clueless."

Harry knew Hermione was right. Normally, all the surprises in his life were bad ones and he was excited to find out he had a sister. He had always wished for a sibling.

"You're right," Harry said, glancing over again to see Anya exiting the Hall. "I'll wait a bit, giver her some time."

"Good," Hermione said approvingly. "Anyway, you need to focus on figuring out the second task."

Harry and Ron both groaned as Hermione launched into planning mode.

* * *

Anya paused in the dungeon corridor, thinking that maybe it'd be easier to deal with her housemates and hide all day in her dormitory than trying to make it to the library. Most of her House was still at breakfast. It was likely she'd be able to avoid any confrontations, and it was the one place that was completely off limits to him.

Her internal debate was interrupted when someone pulled her backwards into an alcove. Wand raised, Anya spun around to face whoever it was that had pulled her. She should have known he find her.

"What do you want, Cedric?" Anya snapped, lowering her wand and folding her arms defensively in front of her.

"To see how you're doing," Cedric said curtly. Then added accusingly, "You've been avoiding me."

He wasn't entirely wrong. Anya hadn't seen Cedric since Christmas Eve, the night of the Yule Ball and the attack on her mother and grandmother. The news of the attack had been delivered toward the end of dinner at the ball. Cedric had offered to leave with her the moment she found out, but she had refused. The aurors didn't know anything and there wasn't any one to take her to the scene just yet. She had insisted they continue with the evening until someone could take her. Anya maintained her composure, opened the ball with Cedric, and danced with her friends before an auror came for her. Oddly enough that auror was James Potter.

She spent the next three days at her uncle's house, undergoing Ministry interrogations and helping her uncle plan for the funeral. Anya had asked to stay until after the funeral but her uncle and aunt thought she'd be better off at Hogwarts. While Dumbledore and James could limit the Ministry's access to her, they couldn't stop the _Daily Prophet_ from running half-true stories or the consequences of those stories.

"I haven't been avoiding you. I've been avoiding having _that_ conversation with you. I'm just not ready to analyze and plan for that right now," she explained, her anger fading. "I'm so tired and so much has happened and I still have Grandmother's funeral…."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Cedric apologized, running his hand through his sandy brown hair and relaxing his stance. "I'm worried though. You weren't doing well before the Yule Ball and I can tell that you're worse now. I can see through your glamour charm; you look ill."

"I know," Anya groaned. She wasn't only emotionally tired but physically tired, as well. Part of the draw of her dormitory was the option to sleep for the rest of the day. "The potion's gone, but my uncle's making more. I just have to make it two more days."

"It's not going to be enough," Cedric said gently. "It hasn't been for awhile."

She sat on the ground against the cold stone wall, gesturing for Cedric to sit next to her. Laying her head on his shoulder, she said, "I know and I promise we'll deal with it — after the funeral."

"Fine," Cedric sighed, still concerned but recognizing he couldn't change her mind. "But after the funeral, you have to follow through with this. You can't afford to put it off anymore."

"I know."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all.**

Considering her home life was falling apart with each breaking news story, Anya thought she was holding up fairly well. She had maintained an outward appearance of a grieving and confused daughter, though that hadn't required much effort. She was deeply upset over the loss of her grandmother and conflicted over her mother's arrest. But she wasn't quite the clueless victim the _Prophet_ painted her to be, and keeping that story straight had required some effort.

Despite what she told Kat, Anya knew she had been taken from her birth parents. She found out last Christmas when she had become inexplicably and dangerously ill while home for the holidays. Lilith, struggling to find a cure, had been forced to admit to taking Anya and what she had done to her as a baby. Lilith said Anya hadn't ever shown any signs of negative side effects, but it turned out that something was finally going wrong in the experiment.

The Ministry wasn't wrong about Lilith's affiliation with the Death Eaters or about what she had done for them. Sixteen years ago, Lilith took a position as a Healer's aide in the St. Mungo's maternity ward. She took newborns that were given up for adoption or had no family for her experiments. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had wanted more dark creatures in his army but wanted to be able to control them, something that was difficult to do with most dark creatures. Lilith had been tasked to create a human-demon hybrid. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted an army that had the enhanced magical abilities of demons — strength, speed, immunity to certain types of magic, and the ability to influence others — but with the physical makeup of a human and ability to program them to be completely loyal to him.

It was a difficult task and one Lilith couldn't fail. But the babies kept dying. Lilith grew desperate and stopped sleeping, spending every moment trying to figure out how to create a successful hybrid. Then, during a round of tests with Anya and two other babies, Anya survived. She was the only baby to make it through the complete transition from human to hybrid. Lilith had been working on why Anya had survived and showed the desired powers when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fell.

Panicked, Lilith took the one-year-old Anya and fled to her mother's house. Still grieving the loss of her oldest children, Charlotte sheltered them without asking questions about Anya's origins or where Lilith had been for the past two years, though she always had her suspicions. Lilith knew what she had done was horrible and that she could never go public with the full truth of her experiments, but she was too proud of her accomplishments to destroy her research. Instead, she created a suppressant for Anya's abilities and kept her research locked in trunk in the attic.

This suppressant had caused Anya's illness, or, rather, it's failure. The potion had done two things: suppress her demonic abilities and keep her demonic half "fed." Demons were parasitic creatures like vampires, though their feeding habits were decidedly less messy. They survived off of the energy of other living things, such as humans, plants, or magical and non-magical creatures. The potion had supplied Anya with that form of sustenance and she had almost starved to death when it failed.

Lilith theorized that her body had built up a tolerance to the potion that may have been triggered by adolescence. She had been working on a new suppressant for the last year, but none of the new versions had worked for more than a couple of months. Now Anya's supply, which wasn't working anymore, was gone and her mother was in Azkaban. If she wanted to live, Anya would have to get over her reluctance and learn to feed.

Thankfully, she had Cedric to show her how because, as it turned out, her situation wasn't entirely unique. Cedric was also a half-human half-demon hybrid, though he had been born one instead created one as part of an experiment.

The first new potion Lilith had given Anya had improved her health but didn't perform quite as well as the original. Anya had some slip-ups with her new powers once she returned to school. After one too many times of accidentally moving too quickly for a normal human, Cedric had cornered her and asked if she was part demon.

Stunned, all Anya had been able to do was accidentally confirm it by asking him how he knew. He had tried to explain but, the truth of Lilith's betrayal still fresh, she began yelling over him for the years of lies. It took about a week for her to calm down enough to be able to actually listen to him and to admit that he had been right for keeping his secret. By the time he finished his story, Anya wasn't sure which one them had it worse.

From a young age, Cedric had known his parents were biologicially his aunt and uncle. They adopted him after his mother died giving birth to him. Human women, even witches, rarely survived the birth of a demon child. Demons consume the life energy of other living things through touch. Complications often arise during demon procreation because the baby steals the life energy of its mother.

Cedric still struggled with the knowledge his mother had died for him, even though his parents had been great with helping him through it. Through Amos' job in the Beast, Being, and Spirit Division in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, he had access to all the information the Ministry had on demons. The Ministry believed demons like him were all but extinct, so Amos was able to pass off his use of the materials as a hobby. Thanks to Amos' knowledge and access and his mother's patience and love, Cedric had learned to control his temper, hunger, and powers. He was sure anyone else would have killed him.

Cedric understood what it was like to have a part of you that tried to undermine everything you did. Anya had had a temper before the potion stopped working but she had to work even harder now. And it wasn't just her temper; she had to control her magic, as well. Her demonic side enhanced her magical prowess, particularly when it came to spells. Once during Transfiguration, she had been attempting to make a rat invisible when she vanished it completely. McGonagall had been mildly impressed but extremely concerned over the slip up. Anya had only ever been an average student and what she had done was beyond N.E.W.T. levels. After that, she had taken care to be as clear in her intent as possible when it came to magic, at least when she performed it in front of others.

Anya knew she would have to make some extreme lifestyle changes if she didn't have any version of the suppressant potion. She also knew that Cedric, one of the few people in her life she could still depend on, would help her with those changes as he had helped her with the control issues over the last year. Anya just had to make the choice.

* * *

Anya slept in late Saturday morning since she didn't have to be in the teachers' lounge until noon. Dreading the day's events, she slept restlessly throughout the night and then napped on and off until eleven. Kat had tried to wake her for breakfast but Anya had refused, saying she wasn't hungry. Kat ignored her and had returned with a plate of toast that she set on Anya's nightstand.

There had been so much happening in the last week that Anya hadn't been able to really process what her grandmother's funeral meant. Now that it was finally here, she felt the full force of her repressed grief. If Anya had to be honest about who raised her, she would say it was her Grandmother. Lilith hadn't been the maternal type. She didn't read stories before bed, teach Anya to tie her shoes or do her hair, or really do any traditional mother-child bonding activities. Their relationship had resembled that of a student and teacher. Lilith had been more focused on Anya's academic development and overall intelligence than anything else. As she grew up, Lilith had taken more interest in her but it still wasn't the relationship a daughter wanted with her mother.

Her grandmother, Charlotte, had taken up the parental slack. She had been the one to make Anya feel loved and safe and made sure she had a fun and enjoyable childhood. More importantly, she had always been on Anya's side. Anya knew she still had friends and family, but she couldn't help but feel a little abandoned and alone.

Numbly, she crawled out of bed and went through her morning routine. Anya briefly wondered why she had bothered to do her make up: She would probably end up crying it all off anyway. She had to admit that she liked the dress that her aunt had sent. It was something Grandmother would have picked out for her. It was a simple black satin dress that stopped just above her knees. The sleeves were apart of the lace overlay that covered the entire dress. In any other situation she would have loved this dress, but now she wished she had never seen it.

"You look nice," Kat said, entering the dormitory. She was wearing a simple grey dress with a black cardigan, her hair done up in an intricate braid. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Anya said, tousling her wavy black hair. Grabbing her cloak and gloves, she said, "Don't forget your cloak. It'll be cold by the lake."

"Are you sure you don't want to eat something?" Kat asked as they exited the Slytherin common room.

Shaking her head, Anya said, "I'm not hungry. Maybe after the service."

Kat nodded, and hooked her arm through Anya's as they walked through the corridor. "If you need to cry today, I promise not to tell anyone. And I'll kick Cedric's ass if he does."

Anya laughed weakly. "Please be nice yourself. He's not the devil, you know."

"I'll be on my best behavior," Kat promised. "Plus, Amethyst will be there and you know she'll keep me in line."

Anya rolled her eyes, stopping outside the teachers' lounge door to compose herself. "All right," she said, taking a deep breath, "let's go."

Professor McGonagall and Cedric were waiting for them in what appeared to be an amiable silence. Anya wished she was surprised but Cedric was the one student who would be completely unbothered by being alone in the same room as a professor and not talking. They both stood up form the table when the girls walked in, McGonagall motioning for them to follow her to the already lit fire.

"The Floo connection will be open until the end of the day," McGonagall explained. Her usual brisk manner had softened a little, a rare occurrence for non-Gryffindors to witness. "To get back, request "Hogwarts Teachers' Lounge". Miss Thorn, why don't you go first?"

Anya took a handful of Floo powder from the jar on the mantle of the stone fireplace and tossed the glittery powder into the fire. Stepping into the now green and harmless flames, she called out, "Thornridge!"

Closing her eyes, Anya focused on staying as still as possible and not panicking throughout the spinning, nausea-inducing journey from Hogwarts to her uncle and aunt's home. Anya hated travelling by Floo powder and couldn't wait to pass the Apparition exam. After what felt like an age, she stumbled out of the fireplace in her uncle's study. Coughing the ash out of her lungs and brushing it off of her clothes, Anya righted herself.

Shelves stacked with books from floor to ceiling and measuring twenty feet wide and at least twice as long, her uncle's study doubled as the library. Anya had spent many afternoons curled by the ornate fireplace and reading. The room was usually off limits to guests, but she was allowed in unsupervised as long as she stayed out of his desk, where he kept sensitive information for work.

"Right on time," Aunt Pru said, walking over from the desk where she had been reading a scroll that she vanished with a small wave of her wand . Enveloping Anya in a comforting hug, she asked, "How are you? Do you need something to eat?"

"I'm fine and no," Anya answered. "I'm not hungry."

Before her aunt could lecture her on taking better care of herself, Kat fell out of the fireplace and was closely followed by a more graceful Cedric, who helped Kat off the ground.

"It's so good to meet the both of you," Aunt Pru said, slipping into hostess mode and shaking both of their hands. "Anya's told us about both of you. It's so kind of you to be here for her. Her uncle and I appreciate it."

Any other day, Anya would have been embarrassed by her aunt's introduction but, she barely cared at this moment. Affecting their parent-friendly dispositions, Cedric and Kat both thanked her for allowing them to come. Anya looked around her uncle's office, noticing his desk was is an unusual state of disarray and some of the bookshelves were missing large collections.

Between the funeral and Lilith's looming trial, things must be more chaotic for them than Anya had thought. Actually, Anya hadn't thought much about what her aunt and uncle were going through, too focused on what was happening to her. She felt ashamed by her selfish behavior. Her aunt and uncle were clearly working hard to protect the family while she moped around at school. Anya berated herself for not checking in with them at least once.

"Anya, there's someone here who wants to see you before the funeral. It's nothing to worry about," Pru added at the sudden concern on an Anya's face. "Mr. Potter wanted a private word with you is all. Cedric and Kat can come with me to the kitchen for a cup of tea."

Anya was hesitant to speak to James Potter at all — they hadn't even spoken the night of her birth certificate examination — but agreed to speak to him nonetheless. Her friends sent her curious glances as they followed her aunt out of the office. Anya watched as they left and James Potter entered the room.

James walked slowly into the room, avoiding looking directly at her. Though he was dressed well and had managed to tame his hair, something Harry was never able to do, he was obviously tired. Anya knew, from overhearing a conversation with him and her uncle the night of the attack, that he had been intended to run interference on the attack and Lilith's case in an effort to keep as much out of the _Prophet_ as possible. Again, Anya felt guilty as she realized how little thought she'd given to the other people affected by Lilith's actions and all they were doing for her. She resolved to make an effort with James despite how nervous she felt.

"I'm sorry for your loss, and to intrude on you today," James began, coming to a stop in front of her. Anya motioned for them to sit down on the brown leather couches. He took the couch opposite of her so there was a good five feet and a coffee table between them. Anya waited silently for him to continue. Nervously, he said, "I know you're dealing with a lot and you probably don't want anything to with me, but I did want to see how you were doing. And to give you this."

From his cloak pocket, he pulled out a small book that he then enlarged to its actual size. He passed what looked like a journal, a very messy and thick journal, to Anya. Reaching across the coffee table, she took it from him. Carefully, because on closer inspection the journal looked like it was apart to fall apart, she opened the front cover. A short inscription was written on the flyleaf: _Property of Lily Evans (1975)_.

Anya felt a lump in her throat. She had only spent a few moments wondering what it would have been like to have Lily Potter as a mother who, by all accounts, was an exceptionally kind and intelligent woman before quickly stopping her wishful thinking. Lily Potter had died 15 years ago and there was no point in her daydreaming about a life that could have been — something she was reminding herself often as of late.

Seeing her reaction, James quickly said, "You don't have to keep it. I just thought it might be easier for you to learn about her, and us, from her journal. Until you're ready for, er, more direct contact."

Anya started to talk but had to clear her throat first. "Thank you. Are you… are you sure want me to have this?"

"Yes," James said sincerely, looking in the eyes for the first time. "I'm sorry for all you've gone through, especially the last few days. I don't want to take you away from your family, but I want to get to know you and for you to know us — Harry, Lily, and me."

Breaking eye contact, Anya looked out the window of the study. She felt appreciative of his efforts but also felt the same fear and apprehension of rejection that she sensed in his words. They were both afraid the other didn't want anything to do with them, though for very different reasons. Summoning her courage, Anya turned back him and asked — in her opinion — the most important question.

"You know what Lilith did to me and the others. Are you sure you really want me in your life?"

James eyes darted over her face as he tried to read her expression, which she hoped was neutral. She didn't want him to be apart of her life out of guilt while secretly fearing or not trusting her.

"Yes," James finally said. "I know what Lilith did and that you are experiencing side effects because of her experiments. I don't know what else is in store regarding those side effects or how this will work out but I do want you to be in my life and my family.

Anya felt her anxiety lessen, though not fade completely. She hadn't realized how much she wanted to get to know her biological family. Anya looked down at the journal in her lap to see it had opened to a picture of Lily surrounded by friends. Lily appeared to be on the Hogwarts Express and had already changed into her school robes. Her head was titled up and she was laughing. Anya thought she looked to be about her age but couldn't find a date to verify that.

"She was very pretty," Anya said, filling the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them. It was clear to anyone that Harry was almost an exact copy of James but Anya didn't think she resembled any of them beyond sharing the same hair and eye color with Harry.

"You look like her. It's not obvious at first but I see her features in your face."

Closing the journal, Anya forced a smile. "Thank you, for this. I'll try to get it back to you soon."

"Keep it as long as you want." He glanced at his watch and stood up saying, "I should go. I wanted to be gone before the guests arrived."

Surprised by his abrupt need to leave, Anya asked, "You're not staying?"

"Your uncle and I thought it was best I didn't," he explained, though his tone implied he didn't agree with the decision. "He wanted to deter anyone from gossiping about your origins."

"Oh," Anya said dejectedly. She understood her uncle's reasons but part of her wished James was staying. People would gossip regardless of James's presence or absence. She grabbed her cloak and other winter garments from next to her on the couch. "I'll see you out."

She set the journal inside a drawer of the coffee table to keep others who may wonder in from reading it, making a mental note to get it before she returned to Hogwarts. The library-study was located on the second floor of her aunt and uncle's house so it was a strange journey to the front door. A few times James asked about a piece of art they passed in the hall but they otherwise walked in silence. Once they reached the door James moved forward as if to hug her but changed mid-way to an awkward handshake. They exchanged goodbyes with James telling her to write if she needed anything and Anya closed the door behind him, officially ending their first real conversation.

Anya appreciated the effort he made, but couldn't deny that the entire conversation had been. Honestly, her grandmother's funeral probably wasn't the best time for a get-to-know moment. She hoped their future interactions lessened in awkwardness or, at least, were less tense.

Turning around, she walked down the main hallway toward the kitchen. Though she and James and talked for a while, Anya figured her aunt was keeping everyone corralled in the kitchen and distracted with tea and food. Aunt Pru loved to bake and loved having taste-testers around. Anya was sure her friends were so full their stomachs hurt. When she heard laughter flow out of the kitchen, she knew her assumptions were correct.

She had barely entered the warm kitchen when she was suddenly in a suffocating hug, her vision obscured by thick blonde hair with streaks of a vivid pink throughout.

"I guess Amethyst is here," Anya teased, attempting to hug her friend back but found her arms too tightly pinned to her sides. "I can't breathe."

Amethyst quickly released her, looking sheepish. "Sorry, I've just been so worried about you!"

"It's OK."

"How was your talk with your dad?" Kat asked, tactless as ever.

"Katrina! Could you let her sit down and get something to eat?" Amethyst admonished, sighing in disbelief.

"I figured it was fine since you'd already attacked her. Might as well pile on."

Rolling her eyes, Anya said, "It was fine. Well, it was really awkward. He gave me Lily's journal so I could learn about them. I think he's afraid of scaring me off."

"That's nice," Aunt Pru chimed in from over by the sink where she was preparing some last-minute food. "I'm sorry he had to leave so quickly but perhaps we can have him and Harry over during the summer holidays."

Kat raised an eyebrow at Anya, who shook her head. Anya wasn't sure what her living situation was anymore. Kat had looked up the laws when Anya had expressed her concern and it appeared that James had a stronger legal case than her aunt and uncle. But if James were sincere in not overwhelming her, then he wouldn't take her away from the only family she knew. Regardless, now wasn't the time to bring it up.

"Where's Tully?" Anya asked, taking the empty seat next to Cedric. Tully had been her grandmother's house elf. Anya knew she had survived the attack and brought to her aunt and uncle's home. However, she hadn't seen her yet.

"She's resting. She really hasn't been doing well since the attack," Pru explained.

Anya didn't doubt that Tully had been disturbed by the attack. She had always had a nervous constitution that had worsened with age. However, Anya knew her aunt didn't approve of having a house elf, likening it to having a slave. Anya didn't disagree with her but also didn't want Tully to feel like she wasn't wanted, which is what would happen if she wasn't allowed to work in the house. She told herself she would check on how Tully was doing after the service.

"So," Anya said, helping herself to a cup of tea and a few snacks her aunt had set out for them. Anya still wasn't hungry but felt fidgety and wanted to keep her hands busy. "How were your holidays, Amethyst?"

"Oh they were lovely," she said with the tiniest bit of sarcasm. "Twenty people crammed into a three-bedroom, two-bath house for two weeks, and everyone had their own special diet requests. Mom and Grandma had such an intense yelling match that Mom disappeared from the house for five hours. We still don't know where she went but the whole fight was over which _set of dishes_ to use for Christmas dinner."

They all laughed out of sympathy, having experienced similar dramas at their own family holidays over the years. As they laughed, a hundred pound, all black German Shepherd came bounding into the room and excitedly launched himself onto Anya.

"Down, Jasper."

Benjamin Thorn Jr. commanded the giant 3-year-old puppy to calm down as he entered the kitchen. Anya had expected to find her uncle looking haggard with all he had dealt with over the last week, but instead he had an immaculately kept appearance. Pulling the still excited dog off of Anya, he hugged her and bid the others "hello."

"Is it time?" Pru asked.

With a solemn nod, Ben said, "Yes. Almost everyone is here. It's probably best to head down now."

"I'll just send these upstairs," Pru said, disappearing the plate of food she had just finished with a flick of her wand. "Put on your cloaks. The ceremony area has been enchanted to stay warm but it'll be a cold walk down."

Ben and Pru led the procession down the manicured lawn to the lake, with Anya, Kat, and Amethyst following behind and Cedric and Jasper bringing up the rear. Usually, Jasper was glued to her uncle's side but seemed especially interested in Cedric. The walk down was cold and windy, causing the girls to huddle close for warmth. Anya spared a glance back at Cedric and saw he had his face tucked down but didn't seem otherwise bothered by the cold. She realized he was probably using his demon abilities to stay warm and only pretending to feel the cold. Maybe tapping into her own powers wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Approaching the lake, Anya noticed the large crowd waiting for them. Her Grandmother had been quite active in the community, particularly in a variety of charities. Then there was everyone from proper society. Sadly, there were more acquaintances and friends than family in attendance. Their group filed into the front row, Kat and Amethyst linking arms with Anya in a show of comfort and solidarity. A man in deep navy blue robes began talking after receiving an approving nod from her uncle. She fixed her eyes on a rock by the edge of the lake and stared at it throughout the service, effectively tuning out the speaker. Anya was thankful her friends were with her, as it would have been horrible to be on the verge of tears and alone in front of all these strangers.

The ceremony seemed to drag on forever and barely last a minute. Before she knew it, her uncle was standing up and inviting everyone back to the house for refreshments and reminiscing. Anya barely noticed that is was Cedric who escorted her back to the house, and was completely oblivious to the knowing smirk shared between Kat and Amethyst.

Anya had survived the funeral, now all she had to do was get through Lilith's trial and figure out how to be a demon.

* * *

 **AN: All right, two-week updating streak! Thanks to everyone following, favoriting, and reviewing**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all.**

"There you are!" Kat all but shouted, throwing aside the curtains of Anya's bed. "Scoot over."

"No, go away! I just want to sleep," Anya protested. She had just returned from detention with Snape, who had required her to clean the entire potions classroom and all the equipment without magic. It may be a short punishment for sending Ezra flying across the corridor but Snape wasn't making it an easy one. Apparently his leniency only went so far.

Ignoring Anya's protests, Katrina forced her way onto the bed so the two girls were lying side by side and staring at the emerald green canopy of Anya's bed. Begrudgingly, Anya inched over to give Kat a little more space and forced herself to keep her eyes open. It was impossible to get any real privacy in a dorm room with six girls so they resorted into crawling into the other's beds when they didn't want the whole room to overhear them. "Oh hush, I haven't seen you in forever. We should catch up. "

"Kat," Anya said, exasperated, "I saw you at dinner. I've been in detention for the last three hours. I don't think there's anything I need to talk to you about."

"Mmm, you sure?" Kat taunted.

Catching sight of her friend's knowing smirk, Anya's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Did something happen _to you_ that you want to share?"

"No, my life remains as uneventful as ever," she pouted dramatically, causing Anya to roll her eyes. In reality, Kat lived for drama and was already to cause some if things were too quiet for her liking. "But you know what's worse? When your best friend keeps a huge secret from you."

Anya's stomach clenched as panic momentarily flooded through her. But Kat couldn't possibly know the truth about Lilith's experiments. She'd be angry, and possibly terrified, instead of pretending her feelings were hurt if she did. No, whatever Kat was on about was something completely unrelated to what Anya really was. She collected herself and, in a calm and genuinely confused tone, asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Cedric Diggory."

"What about him?"

It was Kat's turn to be annoyed, which she expressed with a loud groan. "You and Cedric are together!"

"What?" Anya asked taken aback, pushing herself into a sitting position. "No we're not. Did someone say that we were?"

"You went to the ball together and he came to your grandmother's funeral."

"So did you and Amethyst and I'm not dating either of you," Anya said, giving a small laugh. "We're friends. That's all."

Eyeing Anya, Kat also sat up and moved to the end of the bed. She seemed to be studying Anya for any sign of deceptions. Upon finding none, her expression changed from mildly indignant to disappointed. Sighing, she said, "I know you're sort of skittish about these sort of things since Ezra but I don't think Cedric only wants to be friends anymore."

Anya broke eye contact, feeling uncomfortable. "You don't even like him," she accused.

"It's not that I don't like him. I didn't trust him for a while. I mean, yes, early on it was silly house rivalry that kept me from warming up to him but it did grow into real concern," Kat explained. "He was with Cho but spending so much time with you, even when you were and Ezra were together. Then, to me, it seemed he started paying even more attention when you dumped Ezra despite him still being with Cho…. After Ezra, I didn't want you to end up with another crappy guy so I complained about him, hoping it would deter you."

"What changed your mind?"

Kat shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I realized that he'd always be there for you even if you never date him. So if it's something you want, then I'll support it."

"You're ridiculous," Anya said, shaking her head in amusement. "I appreciate your concern and blessing, not Cedric and I aren't together. It's not even something I've given any thought to, honestly."

"Really?" Kat asked in disbelief. "Not ever?"

"Not recently," Anya admitted. "Plus, I'm not in that place right now, you know? I'm trying to figure out how to have a relationship with Harry and James, and then there's Mum's trial in a couple of weeks. I'm not even thinking about romance."

"That's fair. But," Katrina added, looking at her meaningfully, "don't rule it out completely."

"Whatever," Anya said with an extra dramatic eye roll, acting flippant to hide her discomfort. "Are we done with this?"

"Sure." Kat scooted off the bed and walked over to her own, taking out an elaborate braid as she walked. "By the way, Diggory's waiting outside the common. He needs to talk you about…. Well, I guess he didn't say what he wants to talk to about."

Anya picked up her pillow and through it at Kat, hitting her on the back of her head. "You are the worst."

Kat's laughter followed Anya down the staircase to the Slytherin common room, where she had to navigate through a maze of people who were all listening to some quidditch game on the radio. Anya had no idea what Cedric could want to talk about. Surely if it was important he could have found some time at lunch or dinner or at any other point today. Whatever it was, she hoped he would be fast about it. She really wanted to go to bed.

Climbing out of the passageway, she scanned the corridor for Cedric. He was, of course, pacing at the opposite end of the hall from where the common room was located. Apparently, she and Kat had different definitions of what "outside the common room" meant. With annoyed sigh, she walked down to meet him.

"Sorry, Kat took her time telling me you were out here."

"Honestly, I'm surprised she told you at all," Cedric commented, coming to a stop in front of her. He'd had the decency to meet her halfway for which she was grateful. "Did I do something to her?"

"No, she's just protective of her friends."

"Well that's fine but I don't think I've done anything for her to be such a bit- brat," Cedric complained indignantly. Anya laughed, letting Cedric's almost insult to her friend pass without comment. Unlike Kat, he hadn't tried to intervene in her friendships and had always tried to get along with her friends from Slytherin. He hadn't always succeeded, but that was due more to their attitudes than this. Besides, Kat had been fairly bitchy to him in the past. "What?"

"You can't stand it, can you?"

"Can't stand what?" he asked, clearly torn between his irritation and curiosity.

"Not having everyone wrapped around your finger. It kills you that she's resistive to your 'charm' and doesn't think your some Golden Boy like everyone else in this bloody castle," Anya teased.

Nonplussed, Cedric simply stared at her for a minute before his indignation got the better of him again. "Of course, it's not that. I've never even tried to 'charm' her, as you put it. I'm only annoyed because she continues to act like some kind of gatekeeper when it comes to me talking to or spending any time with you."

"I told you, she's protective," Anya repeated. "Especially after the whole Ezra situation."

Understanding dawned on Cedric's face. Anya thought Cedric might have hated Ezra more than Kat did, as she'd actually had to restrain him from attacking Ezra for his post-break tormenting. "Oh, that dick."

"That's not very champion-like of you," Anya said, feigning disappointment. Cedric rolled his eyes to indicate he didn't care. If it weren't for his ability to charm and manipulate people, Cedric would be in detention almost every day for his temper. Evidently, his strategy for dealing with his impulses was half self-control and half 'I'll deal with it later'. "Don't worry about Kat. I talked to her and she seems willing to let up a little."

"I can die happy," he said sarcastically. "Anyway, the whole reason I came down here was to see when you wanted to start your lessons?"

"Is that what we're calling it? Lessons?"

Cedric shrugged. "I'll basically be tutoring you. It'll just be about how to be a half-demon instead of Transfiguration. Which, by the way, will be a good cover in case any one asks what we're doing. Since we all know you're dreadful at Transfiguration."

"Am not," Anya protested. "I'll have you know I just received high marks on my last exam."

"Did you beat Granger?" If the prominent smirk on his face was anything to go by, he was clearly enjoying his turn to tease.

"Same marks."

"That is impressive."

"Oh, shut up," she said, playfully shoving him backward. "How many times a week do you think I need to do these 'lessons'?"

"Let's start with twice a week. The more you try to use your powers, the more you'll need to feed," he mused. "Let's plan for Tuesday and Thursday afternoons since we both finish classes at three. There's a clearing in the forest we can use."

"The forest?"

"I run in the forest all the time. Nothing will bother us," he said, dismissing her unvoiced concerns. "And no one will accidentally see us using our powers."

"Fine, I guess," Anya agreed hesitantly. She didn't like the idea of going into the forest; it had always been creepy to her. Unlike many of her Gryffindor classmates, she had never been tempted to explore the Forbidden Forest. As long as whatever dark creatures were in there stayed there, she didn't care. Now she would be one of those dark creatures.

"It'll be fine," he said confidently. "Meet me at the quidditch pitch tomorrow a quarter after three."

Anya nodded her agreement, an awkward silence falling between them. Hands shoved in his pant pockets, Cedric was considering what else to say when Anya jumped in before him.

"Ok, well, see you tomorrow then," Anya said self-consciously. A relieved Cedric muttered "good night" and turned around in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room. As she watched him walk away, she tried not to consider what Kat had mentioned about Cedric's alleged hopes for their relationship. But, more importantly, she tried to ignore the long-repressed feelings that were starting to resurface.

* * *

Anya had never stood out among her peers. She was a good student, though not exceptional. She never got into much trouble and couldn't be classified as an adventurous hero so most of the school had no idea who she was. This had been an advantage when classes first resumed as her classmates had difficulty singlingly her out. They didn't even have a photo to go off of since the _Prophet_ articles had never run a picture of her — something she was sure was her uncle's doing. Even without a picture, however, her anonymity came to a quick end as her fellow Slytherins and other sixth years helped identify her for everyone else.

If she was honest, not much changed when they figured it out. Now they just stared openly and whispered audibly as she passed them in the corridors as opposed to when she used to accidentally overhear them as she passed by without notice.

" _I heard her mother was experimenting with werewolf genes."_

" _Did you know she spent a year quarantined in St. Mungo's?"_

" _Cedric should distance himself from her. Merlin knows what she could do to him. Cho always said she had some weird hold on him."_

" _There's no way she didn't participate willingly. She's in Slytherin; I'm sure she was thrilled to help her Death Eater mother serve You-Know-Who."_

" _Poor, Harry. Can you imagine?"_

" _What a freak."_

Anya pretended it didn't bother her. Following what her grandmother had taught her, she kept her temper in check and maintained an impassive outward appearance. But she was going to lose it if one more person jumped when they realized she was behind them or another room went suddenly silent when she entered it. To avoid killing anyone, Anya spent most of her free time in her dorm room, the library, or hiding out in one Amethyst's secret spots. Katrina was supportive but was balancing a new boyfriend from Durmstrang, who's name Anya could never remember, so she wasn't around as much lately.

Despite how unaffected she tried to act, three weeks of gossip and gawking stares was starting to wear done her resilience. By the time she slid onto her bench in potions class on Friday, she was considering life as a hermit. Or hiding out in her dormitory for the next two days. With everyone going to Hogsmeade tomorrow afternoon, she'd actually get some decent time away from everyone in her dormitory.

"Where's Kat?" Amethyst asked as she took her usual place next to Anya.

"I'll give you one guess."

Amethyst's eyes widened in disbelief. "She wouldn't skip potions, would she?"

Anya shrugged. At this moment, she really didn't care if Kat showed up for class or not. Feeling spiteful, she decided she wouldn't cover for her or give her the class notes later. Not that it mattered as Amethyst probably would. She always had to be nice and helpful. As if to prove Anya's unspoken point, she smiled welcoming at Neville as he joined them at their workstation.

"Hello," Neville said quietly and not making eye contact with either of them. Anya nodded in acknowledgement while Amethyst attempted to have a friendly conversation with him.

Snape assigned them the Hiccoughing Solution and wanted it done by the end of class. They were to work with those at their table and not bother him with stupid questions. Anya sighed; it was going to be a long class. Since Kat had failed to turn up, Anya's partners were Amethyst and Neville. Neither was particularly adept at potion making, and she suspected they'd both be fine with her finishing the potion herself. Throughout the class she checked and made adjustments to the cuts or measurements of their ingredients, attempting to create a more than passable potion.

She usually tried harder to control her micro-managing, but she'd let that go in favor having some control in her own life, even if that control was small or inconsequential. Between absent-minded Amethyst doodling on her notes and the accident-prone Neville being terrorized by Malfoy, her micro-managing was probably all that was saving their potion.

"Ignore him," she muttered to Neville. "You're doing fine; just keep stirring the potion like I showed you."

"How do you do it? Not let them get to you?" he asked, his distress evident in voice and expression.

"I pretend they don't exist. There's not much I can do about what people are saying," Anya lied. They were getting to her, but she wanted Neville to feel better.

"She rages when no one's around," Amethyst commented. "Honestly, if Malfoy turns up dead, Anya probably did it."

"And I'd get away with it if you stopped telling people that," Anya said, glaring, while Neville managed a weak chuckle.

"Even the freak is better than you, Longbottom," Malfoy hissed not bothering to keep his voice down. Neville's ears reddened immediately. Anya acted like she couldn't hear him. But she felt her anger continue to rise as she stirred the potion. Suddenly, there was a loud pop as Malfoy's potion exploded, covering him, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson. The rest of the class erupted into laughter as Snape cleaned up the mess and sent them to the Hospital Wing, berating them for carelessness.

"Get back to your potions or I'll deduct twenty points from every student in this class," Snape snapped. Everyone immediately fell silent though it was clear many were suppressing laughter.

"That was fortuitous," Amethyst said thoughtfully.

Anya hummed in agreement, hiding her satisfaction. She couldn't wait to tell Cedric she had managed to control and use her powers. Though, he'd probably be unimpressed and more annoyed she'd risked being caught. However, she reasoned, she hadn't been holding her wand and no one expected her to be able to do wandless _and_ wordless magic so she'd never be held suspect.

The class finished without any more excitement. Snape declared their potion acceptable, knocking points off for Neville's and Amethyst's lack of participation. None of them cared. They each packed up their bags and left class, eager to start the weekend.

"Do you think we should look for Kat?" Amethyst asked as they made their way down the hall to the Slytherin common room.

"No, she skipped class to hang out with that guy, Alexi or whatever. She really won't appreciate us interrupting her."

Amethyst nodded begrudgingly. "I just hate how she disappears whenever there's a new guy, you know?"

"I do," Anya said, her annoyance from earlier resurfacing. She couldn't help but feel Kat's sudden romance was a cover to distance herself from Anya. She felt resentful about the apparent abandonment from one of her best friends. "But we just have to let her do what she's going to do. She'll reappear when her interest fades."

At least, Anya hoped she would.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Turning around, Anya saw an uncertain looking Harry standing in the middle of the corridor. His robes were inexplicably messy, making her wonder what had happened with his potion. Staring at Harry, Anya realized she had never actually spoken to him before. They'd been in classes together for years but always stuck to their own groups. That in itself wasn't odd; Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other on principle and never comingled. But it was odd in that they were siblings — and obviously twins — and had never spoken despite their proximity.

Beyond him, she could see his friends watching curiously from the other end of the hall. He must not have much to say if they were willing to wait for them.

"I'll catch up to you," Anya said to Amethyst, who nodded and continued to the common room. She moved them to one side of the corridor to be out of the way and, hopefully, prevent passersby from listening to their conversation. "What is it?"

Harry, clearly taken aback by her directness, stumbled over his words. "Er, nothing. Well, there is something…. But, er, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm great," she said sarcastically. "These last few weeks have been the best of my life. I absolutely love being the top topic of gossip for the _Prophet_ and all of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded sympathetically, his messy black bouncing a little. "Oh yeah, that's always a blast. You're handling it well, if it helps. Better than I ever have."

"I'm not," Anya said, dropping the defensive sarcasm. She was so tired of lying; she couldn't bring herself to come up with another one. Plus, it's not like she needed to save face in front of Harry. "I'm angry all the time, and I'd be happy to leave Hogwarts tomorrow."

"It'll get better," Harry reassured, though it didn't sound like he believed his own words.

"Maybe." She sighed. "You said you had something to tell me?"

"Oh yeah," Harry said in a way that made clear he had forgotten about his original message. "Dad wanted me to let you know that Lil—your mum's trial was moved to next Friday. He's not certain, but there's a possibility you're going to be asked to testify or something."

"Great," Anya muttered.

"He said someone will come to get you and Dumbledore will excuses you from classes," Harry added. He was clearly trying to lessen how upsetting the message was by delivering in pieces. It wasn't working.

"Anything else?" she asked, hoping there wasn't. Knowing that, somehow, this information would be in tomorrow's _Prophet_ , she was already resolving to stock up on food at dinner and stay in her dormitory until Monday morning.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. Then he paused, considering something. "But if you ever need to talk about all of this, you can talk to me. You know, I've been in similar situations."

"Thanks, Harry," she said, rewarding him with a weak smile. "You better go; your friends are waiting on you."

Harry awkwardly waved goodbye and went to catch up with Granger and Weasley, who seemed to have fallen into a heated discussion. Repositioning her school bag on her shoulder, Anya continued on to her own common room. She decided she wouldn't worry about the trial tonight. Instead, she would put all her energy into her homework and ignore everything else going on in her life.

Just tonight, she would pretend to be a bored student on a Friday night.

* * *

 **AN: Let me know what you think so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: JKR owns all.**

"I can't believe it. They're really going to make her testify against her own mother?" Pru asked, stunned.

Ben and Pru were having a quiet dinner of sandwiches and soup in the kitchen. Usually, Pru would have produced a full meal and served it in the formal dining room. Given recent events, however, she hadn't felt up to it. While her husband was busy handling Lilith's trial, she had taken on the preparations to sell her mother-in-law's house and nursing the house-elf Tully back to health. Though Tully had not been attacked, she was having a difficult time with the loss of her family. Pru thought the attack and all that followed had been too much for the elf, who had been with the family since Ben was small.

"They are," Ben said grimly. "I don't like it any more than you but I can't prevent them from calling her to court. They believe she knows something about Lilith's experiments."

"She does; that's the problem. She knows everything Lilith did. She can't lie to the Wizengamot."

"Why can't she? From what I've been able to gather most of the Wizengamot are sympathetic toward her and believe Lilith's initial statement that she didn't experiment on Anya. And Anya has stuck to the story that she never knew anything before the arrest. As long as we all stick to the story, she should be fine during the trial."

"You really believe that?" Pru asked skeptically.

"They have enough to put Lilith away without Anya's statement. They're covering themselves and making sure the public knows they conducted a thorough investigation," he said firmly.

"I hope you're right," Pru sighed, still worried about putting Anya through the trial. "I suppose this may be her only opportunity to talk to Lilith for some time."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked absently, tipping his bowl to get the remnants of his soup onto his spoon.

"I don't see either of us taking her to Azkaban for a visit," she scoffed. Her husband could be so oblivious at times. "And I doubt Mr. Potter will either."

"Do you think we need to worry about him taking Anya away?" He didn't look up from his meal, but his wife could hear the worry in his voice.

Pru took a few minutes before giving her answer. She'd doted on Anya as if she were her own daughter since Lilith unexpectedly returned home after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's downfall. She couldn't imagine Anya not being in their lives; the thought made her sick.

"He has every right," Pru started, her voicing shaking. "She is his child, after all. But I believe he'll keep his word, and let Anya remain with us. She's almost of age, anyway. A custody battle would be a waste of time."

Placated by her answer, Ben visibly relaxed. He wasn't one for public displays of affection or speaking openly about his feelings, but Pru knew he saw Anya as a surrogate daughter. He was as worried about Anya as she was, even if he insisted on acting as if everything would return to normal. It was a bit ridiculous since everything had changed, but Pru understood it was how he was coping. They'd lost so much, so fast. Pru did need him to get past this last bit of denial as continuing in this way would only complicate things going forward.

Despite organizing Lilith's defense, he refused to talk about her actual crime. It was a disturbing topic. Pru hadn't even opened the box of Lilith's journals that had been discreetly moved from Thornridge to her house the day after the attack. They all had suspected Lilith was involved with the Death Eaters, but could never prove anything. Anya had informed them of the extent of that involvement during her first visit home before the funeral. Evidently she had known the truth for almost a year. Pru couldn't imagine what Anya had felt upon learning the truth; not to mention how she was dealing with being one of Lilith's test subjects. It didn't matter, however, if Anya was a demon hybrid or not. Pru would do whatever she could to keep her niece safe.

"Everything will work itself out," Ben said with half-hearted optimism. "Lilith will go to jail, as she deserves, and we will move on. There'll be some minor backlash from the publicity of course, but that will fade. We're still a family."

"Of course, dear." After a minute she asked, "Did they ever figure out who attacked your mother and Lilith?"

"No," he sighed. "Lilith refuses to say anything about it."

"Do you think it was a Death Eater?"

"I don't know. Why would they attack one of their own? Plenty of Death Eaters escaped Azkaban so it couldn't have been for that — and she never betrayed them. It's been fifteen years, why come after her now?"

Pru shrugged, feeling emotionally drained. "You don't think it's something to do with _him_ , do you?"

Ben balked at the suggestion. "Of course not! That's impossible; he's dead!"

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," Pru argued. "Maybe the follower was delusional, but it has to be connected to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named somehow."

Ben shook his head, but was unable to conceive a decent counterpoint. He knew she was right. The aurors he'd spoken to had rejected the thought completely — all but Potter who seemed convinced that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was only in hiding and not truly gone. It didn't make any sense at all to Ben. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were really out there, he would have made himself known before now.

Ben didn't have the answers. He only wanted to keep what was left of his family safe.

The most infuriating part was that Lilith had suspected someone was coming for her. It was why she'd sent him all her research, after all. She'd known and couldn't have been bothered to write a simple note explaining the situation to them. It was just like his sister to keep them in the dark.

"It'll all be fine," he said with forced conviction. His wife gave him a doubtful smile, looking as tired and worried as he felt. They finished their dinner in silence, each worrying about Anya and their uncertain future.

* * *

Lilith Thorn sat in her cell, absently picking at the cracks in the floor. She'd lost track of how long she'd been in Azkaban. It could have been a few days, a week, or a month and she would never know. The cells were dark, and the little light that crept through the small windows was always tinted gray. At one point Lilith had thought the windows must have been spelled, but it was more likely the large number of dementors causing the gloom. Worse than the dark, was the screaming. Her fellow prisoners screamed day and night. If the dementors didn't drive her mad, the screaming would.

However, Lilith reckoned the boredom would do her in first. She was held in a low security cell, meaning her exposure to the dementors was kept to a minimum. The Ministry wanted her to be somewhat sane for her trial, and Lilith suspected her brother had paid off a few people, as well. The dementors still affected her despite her low exposure to them. She spent immeasurable periods of time trapped inside her own head, feeling the worst things imaginable and, no doubt, adding her own screams to the unending chorus of the prison.

Her current state of clarity was due to the knowledge that her trial was tomorrow. Or it was soon. She couldn't be sure exactly when the ministry official had given her that piece of news with her lunch. It couldn't have been more than a few days ago, though, if her scratched-in-the-wall tally was correct. The trial wasn't a happy thought, but the chance to get out of her cell and see her family one last time was.

Despite what the world may think of her, Lilith wasn't completely heartless. She wasn't the best mother, but she did love Anya and was worried about what would happen to her. Lilith knew her brother and sister-in-law would do whatever they could to protect her but there was nothing they could do for her condition. She hadn't even been close to figuring out why the suppressant potion no longer worked when she and her mother were attacked.

She never thought any of this would happen.

She joined the Death Eaters when she eighteen. Lonely and lacking the sense of purpose her older siblings were blessed with, they offered her a path: an opportunity to truly test her abilities. Lilith had always had an affinity for experimenting with biology of magical creatures and the Death Eaters were more than willing to encourage her in this aspect. Lilith had impressed her superiors so much she was given the task to create a secret army.

The Dark Lord wanted a group that could infiltrate other governments without being detected, which would make his take over much easier. He believed the demonic ability of suggestion, not to mention their enhanced human traits, would be perfect for this task. The only problem lay in the demon's disloyal and unpredictable nature. So Lilith's goal was to create a controllable wizard-demon hybrid. Her position as a nurse in the birthing ward of St. Mungo's was the perfect place for procuring test subjects.

Lilith did feel guilty for what she'd done to the babies. At the time, she'd rationalized her action in order to assuage her guilt. All of her subjects were abandoned. No one would miss them; they were disposable. But it was always devastating when one of them died. After the third one, Lilith learned to view them only as test subjects so she wouldn't grow attached to them. She couldn't let her guilt or grief deter her; failure was not an option.

Eventually, some of the hospital staff noticed babies were disappearing. They reckoned the mothers had changed their minds, but began keeping closer tabs on the nursery. Lilith had to be even stealthier when choosing a test subject. She'd been unbelievably desperate the day she'd taken Anya thanks to the new restrictions.

In the end, the risk had been worth it. Unlike the others, Anya survived the first round of serums and began displaying an enhanced healing rate. Lilith was relieved. She immediately informed her superiors of the success, earning a reprieve from the constant promises of death if she failed. Lilith even received a few congratulatory notes as Anya continued to survive each stage of the transition process.

Lilith was preparing to present her results when the Dark Lord fell. Fearing Azkaban, she took Anya to her family's home. They hadn't seen her in years and didn't hide their suspicions of what she had been doing in her time away. Ben and his wife, Prudence, were hesitant to welcome her. Death Eaters had killed their older siblings, Cecil and Tom, only a few months earlier. Ben had a particularly difficult time, as he'd been so close to Tom and so against He-Who-Must-Be-Named's values. However, their mother insisted on family unity after the deaths of her two oldest children and, begrudgingly, Ben complied with his mother's wishes.

They all knew Anya was not Lilith daughter. She looked nothing like Lilith or the ex-boyfriend Lilith named as the father — who was dead and unable to confirm or deny the claim — with her black hair and green eyes, but they didn't challenge Lilith's story. If they were going to be a family like Charlotte wanted, they had to let the past be.

With her mother's help, Lilith had raised and cared for Anya for the last fifteen years. She believed they were all safe. Then everything had fallen apart.

Now, Lilith was trapped in a cell and unable to help her daughter. She hoped her brother had destroyed her research. She didn't care about it being used as evidence against her; she just didn't want anyone to be able to replicate her work or find out what she'd done to Anya.

Lilith sighed, knowing there was no way to change her fate or her daughter's. The Death Eaters had already come for her once, and they'd try again. The Dark Lord was coming back, and he wanted all his assets.

* * *

"Tomorrow's not going to go well," Cedric commented. Tired and clumsy after their second demon lesson, which hadn't gone well, Anya tripped down the stairs that led to the dungeons and their common rooms.

Righting herself, she shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about? We're not practicing tomorrow."

"The trial, Anya, the trial isn't going to go well. I just think you should prepare yourself for that," he explained, his tone a mixture of frustration and concern. "Your mother will be found guilty and taken to Azkaban."

"I know," she said solemnly, leaning against the corridor wall. It was unexpectedly deserted for a Thursday night, but she was thankful for the seclusion. "If I'm honest, I've been dreading tomorrow since Christmas. I know she deserves to be punished, what she did was horrible. But she's still my mum…. James wrote me. He's arranged for me to talk to her in private after the trail."

"Is that what you want? To talk to her?"

Anya hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes. I probably won't be able to talk to her about everything, but I'll get to say good-bye."

"You won't visit her?" Cedric asked, surprised.

"Not while I live with my uncle. He's furious with James for giving me the opportunity to talk with her. He's never going to take me to Azkaban."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking uncomfortable. Anya knew he didn't know what to say. Honestly, neither did she. At least he let her voice her complicated feelings toward her mother. Most people would have been disgusted if they knew she didn't completely hate her.

Anya sighed. "There's nothing I can do."

"I get it, you know," Cedric said, running his hand through his hair. Anya had noticed him doing that more frequently; he must be stressed. "Hating a parent but still wishing they were around. I know it's not the same situation, but I get how you feel."

"Your mum or your dad?" she asked, curious. Cedric never spoke about his birth parents. She knew his father had vanished long before his mother had given birth to him. Amos swore he didn't have any clue as to who Cedric's birth father was, though Cedric had confided to her he didn't believe it.

Cedric shrugged. "Dad. I hate my dad for what he did, but still wish I could know him if only because he's my only living — and biological — parent. Thing is," Cedric added thoughtfully, "we're probably better off not spending time with these people."

"Maybe," Anya said quietly.

"Will you be ok tomorrow?" Cedric asked, his grey eyes full of concern. A lot of people had asked her that lately, and she'd resolutely stuck to the reply of "I'm fine" but felt safe enough with Cedric to give an honest answer for once.

Anya smiled weakly. "I doubt it, but I'll get through it."

"I'm sure you will you," he said, returning her smile with one of his own. Closing the space between them, he gave her a brief comforting hug and a feather-light kiss on the cheek. He quickly stepped away with only the slightest hint of uncertainty in his expression. "Good luck."

"Thanks. Night," she said awkwardly, turning around toward the Slytherin common room.

Unsurprisingly, Anya didn't sleep that night. She dreaded the trial, even though she knew what the outcome would be, and was a little nervous about seeing her mother again. Anya had no idea what she wanted to say to her mum and this would be her last chance for some time. She kept trying to think of something meaningful to say and wishing for impossible outcomes.

A small part of her thoughts, however, lingered on the strange disappointment she felt when Cedric had stepped back from her in the corridor.

* * *

 **AN: Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: Owned by JKR and not me.**

"Keep your answers concise and you'll be fine," Uncle Ben reminded her in a whisper. "Don't try to be too composed or confident, though. That'll be too suspicious; let some nerves show."

Anya sat between her uncle and James in the front row of the courtroom, listening to tips on how she should act when questioned. The more confused and unsure she appeared, the more they would see her as a victim whereas remaining composed would make her seem heartless or involved in the crimes and crying would be too over the top after a month between the arrest and the trial.

"I got it," she hissed. If he didn't stop nagging her someone would hear him or she would just appear angry during her testimony. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James frown slightly. James knew she would have to lie today but he didn't approve of her being coached on how to manipulate people. Anya, who hadn't had a problem with the plan, suddenly felt unsure. If James didn't like this plan, then he probably didn't think much of her for going along with it without any protests. Harry would have had a problem and, most likely, would have refused to do it.

Part of Anya's upbringing had included learning how to navigate high society, which was made up of old pure-blood families and "newly" rich half-blood and muggle-born families. Despite what many said, not everyone in the inner crowd was a former Slytherin. There were members from every house and focus wasn't on blood purity (though there were subsets that leaned that way). It was really a group in which everyone could show off how wealthy they were and give back to the magical community while secretly forming political alliances or trying to influence things in the ministry. Knowing how to survive their tricky social group was a skill she, and others, had learned at a young age.

"I thought this was a closed court?" she observed, careful to keep her voice low enough so only James and Ben could hear her.

"It's closed to the public," James explained. "A lot of these people are from the auror or law departments."

"It's the most interesting case to happen in more than a decade," Ben added grimly. "I do wish they'd just get on with it."

As if she'd heard him, a middle-aged witch with short blonde hair and dressed in faded gray robes stood up and waved her wand, blue sparks erupting from the end and bringing silence to the room. She was stoic, but the purse of her lips gave an air of annoyance. Anya wondered if she felt this trial was a ridiculous production — it certainly felt that way to her. As soon as the excited chatter ceased, Anya heard the metal door clunk open. Escorted by two aurors and chained, she watched Lilith enter the room and shuffle toward the elevated chair in the center of the courtroom.

Lilith was almost unrecognizable. Her once pristine navy robes were torn and matted in dirt and grime. It was clear she had attempted to clean up before the trial. She'd attempted to wash her face and pulled her hair, which was visibly greasy, into an elegant bun. It looked like she had lost a lot of weight as well. She was almost a walking skeleton. Anya wanted to cry. It was hard enough to sit here and watch her mother be sentenced to Azkaban for life, but her appearance made everything worse.

As Lilith sat down, the chains sprang to life and restrained her to the seat. There was the briefest flash of pain across Lilith's face, but she didn't display any other signs of discomfort. She sat tall and proud in the chair, scanning the courtroom. Her eyes stopped once they reached Anya. Lilith seemed to be studying her. Pleased with her observation, she gave an almost imperceptible smile and turned her attention to the Wizengamot. Anya had no idea what Lilith was looking for or why she seemed pleased.

"We're here today to settle the charges of kidnapping and murder brought against Miss Lilith Thorn," the blonde witch who'd called for silence earlier said. Her voice was firm and clear, but Anya could detect the faintest hint of irritation in her words. "I am Amelia Bones, speaking on behalf of the Wizengamot."

"The evidence against her includes extensive documentation of the infants taken and what was done to them, falsified employment records where the defendant listed herself as Chloe Brown; the Dark Mark on her inner left forearm; and the defendant's written confession," the witch continued. "All of these items have been reviewed by the Wizengamot and the defendant's council, and have been concluded to be legitimate evidence. Does the defense have anything to add at this time?"

A young wizard, who'd been sitting on the other side of Ben, stood up. He was visibly and embarrassingly nervous, making Anya think this was his first trial. The anger she felt on her mother's behalf rose, even though Anya knew Lilith didn't deserve it. This whole trial was a joke, and it was clear her uncle thought the same. There was no other explanation as to why he'd let such an inexperienced lawyer defend his sister.

"I am John Roberts, the council for Lilith Thorn," the young man started. "We-we would like to give information of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's plans in exchange for a more lenient sentence."

The courtroom erupted into loud murmurs before Roberts finished his statement. Anya watched as his neck turned bright red. It took several minutes before the Wizengamot could regain control. In fact, Madame Bones was forced to use a silencing spell before the trial could continue. Anya couldn't help but notice the rather amused look on Lilith's face. She wondered if Lilith had truly lost her mind in Azkaban, or was simply trying to extend her reprieve for as long as possible.

"Mr. Roberts," Madame Bones said, her tone condescending. "We are not in the habit of making deals with Death Eaters —"

Anya noticed James' jaw clench at her words. Perhaps they didn't any more, but even Anya knew they had made deals for some time after the war ended. The Ministry had been intent on proving they were back in control and making everyone feel safe: They'd needed any information they could get to round up the remaining Death Eaters. It was common knowledge many had made deals or given money to the new administration to avoid Azkaban. However, the political climate was different now.

"— We don't _need_ to know what the end goal of these experiments were, or how many victims there truly are. We know there were at least twenty victims who died during Ms. Thorn's experiments. She needs to pay for her involvement with the Death Eaters and the lives she took."

"What about providing closure to the families?" Mr. Roberts tried weakly.

"All of the known victims have been confirmed as either abandoned or orphaned," Madame Bones said dismissively. "We'll hear from the lone survivor in a moment."

Anya flushed as most people in the court glanced at her. Ben and James both leaned forward, as if they could block her from the rest of the room. She sunk back in her seat, glaring at Lilith as she did. Once again, she was a spectacle and it was all her mother's doing.

"If Ms. Thorn would like to provide us with the motive for her actions out of good will, the Wizengamot would be happy to hear it. But we will not be making any deals regarding her sentence today," Madame Bones finished firmly.

Mr. Roberts was at a loss. Clearly, he'd been hoping the Wizengamot would be concerned about the motives behind the experiments and make a deal. Madame Bones, however, wasn't interested in adding to the spectacle. She didn't need to know what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's plans were because he was gone. As far as Madame Bones was concerned, anything Lilith had to say was nothing more than fuel for idle speculation or gossip.

"Is there anything else you would like to add on Ms. Thorn's behalf?"

Roberts shook his head. "No, Ms. Thorn pleads guilty to all charges and is ready to accept her punishment."

"Very well," Bones said, satisfied. Roberts sunk down into his seat, looking miserable. "We would now like to hear from Miss Anya Thorn."

James, who was sitting in the aisle seat, lightly tapped Anya's shoulder. Nervously, she followed him to the center of the court, where she stood a few feet in front of Lilith and facing the Wizengamot. Madam Bones gave what Anya thought was to be a comforting smile. But it was pointless; there was no way Anya could feel comfortable standing before a hundred people and about to be interrogated. At least she wouldn't have to pretend for the court anymore.

"Please state your full name for the court."

"Anya Charlotte Thorn."

"And can you tell us what your relationship is to the defendant?"

"She's my mum," Anya said, surprised by how matter-of-fact her tone was. It looked like many members of the Wizengamot were too.

"But not your biological mother?" Bones prompted.

"She's not, but she is my mum," Anya said defiantly.

"When did you learn Lilith Thorn was a Death Eater?"

"When she was arrested."

"So you never knew of her involvement or experiments prior to her arrest?" Bones asked, searching Anya for any sign she knew more than she was acknowledging.

"No, I didn't."

A low rumble ran through the court. Anya could see Wizengamot members leaning in to whisper to each other. Her answer shouldn't have been that shocking. The experiments had all been done before Anya was born or when she was a baby. It was impossible she'd have any recollection of them and Lilith had hidden away anything that would have tied her to the Death Eaters. Did the Ministry truly believe former Death Eaters went around telling their children what they did for the Dark Lord?

Grandmother used to say that the Ministry rarely attracted the best and brightest. Anya was rather inclined to agree with her.

Cutting through the whispers, Madam Bones continued with her rapid-fire questioning. "Since the arrest, what have you learned about your mother's work for the Death Eaters."

"Only what's been discovered from the investigation. And…" she added hesitantly. Her uncle and aunt had agreed that they should reveal one thing during the trial, if only for St. Mungo's to be able to fix their oversight in security. "I have learned how exactly my mum was able to get from the hospital."

For the first time that day, Madam Bones looked genuinely interested. Leaning forward over the podium, she asked, "And how did she do that?"

"She was in the delivery room," Anya said, wringing her hands in an affected nervous manner. "I was born first so when the Healers went to deliver the second baby she grabbed the half-completed birth certificate and used the memory charm to make everyone in the room forget there'd been another baby."

Madam Bones was unable to hide her shock, and neither could anyone else in the courtroom. Lilith, though intelligent and inventive, hadn't needed to be a genius to take the babies from St. Mungo's. She simply had to wait for the right moment and occasionally use a memory charm.

Clearing her throat, a sheepish expression settled on Madam Bones' face. "Well we'll need to advise the staff at St. Mungo's of the holes in their security. Now," she said, recovering her brisk manner, "we recovered records of your mother's experiments. However, it appears a handful of them are missing. We believe these contain information regarding her last test subjects, possibly including you. Do you have any information about the missing notes?"

"No, but I'd guess they were destroyed in the fire."

"And you're not curious about what they contained regarding Ms. Thorn possibly experimenting on you?"

"Given that I'm alive and, I think, a normal human, I'm certain she didn't. But you can always ask her yourself. She is here, after all."

Madam Bones's eyes narrowed slightly, not appreciating Anya's quip. "The Wizengamot doesn't have any more questions for Miss Anya Thorn. You may return to your seat."

Anya turned around, glancing at her mother out of the corner of her eye. Lilith's face was impassive; she couldn't even detect a hint of boredom or concern. Lilith didn't look at Anya, keeping her focus on the Wizengamot. As she returned to her seat, Anya received a reapproving pinch on her upper arm from her uncle. Apparently he hadn't liked her response to Madam Bones' last question.

After a minute of conferring with the other members of the Wizengamot, Madam Bones returned to the podium to address the room. "The Wizengamot hereby finds Miss Lilith Thorn guilty on all charges of kidnapping and murder, and one of treason. She will serve a life sentence in Azkaban. Court dismissed."

While the room erupted into chatter, it was much more subdued than it had been before the trial. Everyone had been hoping for the juicy details of Lilith's experiments and was disappointed to leave with nothing. Anya caught part of the reporters' discussion of what they would write as they walked past. They hesitated when the spotted her, perhaps thinking she'd talk with them, but sped up again once they noticed James glaring at them.

Anya watched as two aurors approached Lilith. They unchained her and led her out of the courtroom.

"Don't I get to talk to her?" Anya asked, worriedly.

"They're taking her to a more private room," James explained. "We'll take you to her once the courtroom clears out."

Anya nodded, calming down. "How long will I have?"

"No more than half an hour. It's all they would agree to," Ben added at Anya's disappointment.

Anya sighed, wishing everyone else would hurry up and leave. She wanted to talk to her mother. If she was honest, she had been looking forward to the trial because she could finally talk to Lilith after it. Anya had never figured out what she would say or what she needed to talk to her mum about; ultimately deciding it didn't matter. Whatever they talked about would be fine, as long as they talked.

Finally, the last few stragglers left the room and one of the aurors who had escorted her mother out of the court returned for them. He was older, probably late fifties, and looked tired. Anya was amazed that this was one of the men trusted to guard her mother. Lilith was a talented dueler and could have easily overpowered him — if she had her wand.

He led to a small room that was down the hall from the courtroom. Madame Bones was talking with the other auror. Anya was surprised to see her, thinking she'd left with the others. Taking note of their approach, she said something quietly to the auror and left. Anya wondered what she was up to. The trial was over and she didn't have a reason to be involved anymore.

"I thought this would be a private conversation?" Anya asked, coming to a stop outside the room.

"It is," James promised, staring curiously at Madam Bones' retreating figure. "Sommers, what did Madam Bones say to you?"

"Just to not underestimate the prisoner," Sommers answered, his tone implying he didn't think much of her advice. "They're real serious about this one, Potter."

"Right, well, this is Anya. She's here to talk to th – Ms. Thorn," James said.

"Do you have your wand?" Sommers asked. "You'll have to leave it out here if you do."

Anya took her wand out of her pocket and handed it to her uncle. Using his own wand, Sommers unlocked the door and allowed Anya inside. The room was small and poorly lit with only enough room for four chairs and a table. Lilith was seated in a chair opposite the door; making her the first thing Anya saw when she entered. Lilith, who was restrained in the chair much as she'd been in the courtroom, lit up when she saw her daughter, a reaction Anya couldn't ever remember seeing before. Anya stopped just behind one of the chairs, silently returning her mother's gaze and listening to the door close behind her.

"You look well," Lilith said, her tone so casual they could've been talking at home about the weather rather than in the Ministry. "How are you?"

"How am I?" Anya snorted, feeling a slight bit hysterical. She pulled out the chair and practically threw herself into it, all the while staring at her mother in disbelief. "How am I? Well, let's see. My grandmother's dead. My mother is going to Azkaban forever for her work with the Death Eaters, which everyone thinks I had some role in. And everyone thinks I'm a freak. How the hell do you think I am?"

"Tone, love," Lilith reprimanded, seeming completely unbothered by Anya's outburst. "Now, have you experienced any side effects since you ran out of the suppressant?"

Anya nodded. "I'm handling them though. I think I'll be all right without it."

"Anya, you almost died when it failed last year," Lilith said, her calm façade finally breaking to reveal a concerned parent. "How can you possibly be handling it?"

"I'm embracing my true self," Anya said flippantly. "Well, to an extent. I'm learning how to control my abilities and stay, you know, healthy."

"Someone's helping you," Lilith deduced. During her research, Lilith had learned all about how demons survived. But Anya didn't have access to that information and, even if she did, she couldn't possibly figure it out this fast on her own. Lilith still didn't fully understand how the feeding process worked, which was probably why all the suppressants were failing. "You need to be careful about who you trust with this information, especially a natural-born demon. They're only loyal to themselves."

"I can trust this person," Anya said confidently. "They're only a half-demon like me. We're in the same situation."

Lilith closed her eyes, counting silently to herself. It was something she did to control her temper, especially when she didn't have time to indulge in it. Looking stern, she warned, "Just be careful."

"Do you remember where you stored the instructions for the suppressant?" Anya asked hopefully. "Maybe we can work on it and I won't need to feed so much."

"They're gone," Lilith sighed, slumping back into her seat in the most unladylike position Anya had ever seen. "I was working on it when I was attacked. They were destroyed in the fire."

It was Anya's turn to sigh. She'd been holding out hope Lilith could help her with the potion in some manner. She was disappointed that option was gone, even though a part of her had known it wasn't really an option anymore.

"I'm sorry," Lilith said sincerely. "You may not believe me, but I am. I never thought it'd come to this. I thought the Dark Lord was gone."

"What do you mean?" Anya asked, not sure why her mother was bringing up He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"The attack wasn't random. The attacker was a Death Eater. He was looking for the research, said it was to help with the Dark Lord's return. He attacked when I wouldn't cooperate."

"Why haven't you told them who attacked you?"

"They'd never believe me," she scoffed. "He's supposed to be dead, and I have no way to prove he isn't."

"So you think He-Must-Not-Be-Named is alive?" Anya asked shocked.

"I don't know," Lilith sighed. "If he is, you need to be prepared. You need to hone whatever abilities you may have."

"Why?"

"Because you could still be useful to him. He knew of my progress. He was planning to check in with me around the time of his downfall, or someone he trusted was. He may want to replicate my results, or use you in some other way."

"Bloody hell, Mum," Anya muttered, anxiously twisting a strand of hair.

"I know. I'm sorry, I didn't think…"

"You said that," Anya sighed, feeling like she wanted to cry. "Why did you even get involved with them?"

"I was young and they gave me purpose," she said simply. "It sounds stupid, especially after so many years, but joining them gave me direction and somewhere I felt I belonged. I hadn't had that before, and their beliefs seemed reasonable at the time."

"They killed people," Anya snapped, unable to comprehend her mother's actions. "How is that reasonable?"

"People die in every war."

"That's doesn't justify what you did."

"I know," Lilith said, solemnly. "I _am_ sorry for what I've done, to you and the other children. I've known for many years how horrible my actions were, but I was selfish. I wanted to be your mother and live in peace. Now, I have to face the consequences. I need you to promise me something, though."

"What?" Anya asked, unable to keep herself from sounding pouty.

"Never tell anyone else that the experiments worked on you," she said firmly. "If the wrong person finds out you actually have these abilities…. I just fear what they might do with that knowledge, who they may tell."

Anya's next response was cutoff by a knock on the door and James entering the room.

"It's time," he said, looking at Anya. "Are you ready?"

"Sure," she said noncommittally before turning back to Lilith. "I'm still mad at you — beyond mad, really — but I'll miss you."

"I love you, too," Lilith said with just a hint of a smirk on her lips. To James she said, "Take care of her."

Anya stood up and made to leave when she stopped. Turning around, she walked over to her mum and gave her one last hug, whispering, "I love you," so James couldn't hear. Then she turned away and walked out of the room. She struggled not to cry as she left, knowing this was the last time she'd ever see Lilith. Anya reentered the hall where her uncle was waiting for her.

"How did it go?" he asked, glancing beyond Anya as if to catch a look at his sister but the older auror closed the door to the room as he went in. Anya and her uncle were left alone in the deserted corridor.

Still trying not to cry, Anya mumbled, "Fine."

Honestly, it was unsatisfying. They hadn't had much time to talk and they hadn't talked about anything except Anya's condition. Was that really all her mother had to say to her? All she had to say to her mother? There must have been something more important they could have said to each other, something more meaningful.

"I'm sure she appreciated being able to see you," he commented. Ben could see Anya was having a difficult time. He hoped Lilith hadn't said anything to upset her. Though, he supposed, Anya had probably been upset to being with and was now allowing herself to feel it. "Let's get you back to school. You've missed your morning classes, but you can still have lunch and attend your afternoon ones."

"Do I have to?" Anya asked, her voice a little whiny.

"Yes," Ben said sternly. "Keeping busy is a good thing; it'll keep you from wallowing too much."

"Thanks," Anya said sarcastically, emphasizing her opinion with a dramatic eye roll.

Ben ignored her and began walking down the hallway to the lifts. Anya followed, accepting she'd have to face her classmates sooner than she'd wanted. Their journey to the main level of the Ministry, where Anya would use one of the fireplaces to Floo back to Hogwarts, was one of silence, each lost in their own reflections of the day.

As Anya prepared to enter the harmless fire, her uncle said, "Don't worry. Everything will be all right now."

His hopeful expression was the last thing she saw before she was taken away by green flames and smoke.

* * *

 **AN: What do you guys think?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"C'mon, Anya," Cedric snapped, losing control of his temper. "It's really not that hard. It's instinct for fuck's sake!"

Glaring, Anya slid off of the boulder she'd been sitting on. She wasn't failing intentionally and was just as frustrated as he was. She was blocked. She could sense the energy, but something was preventing her from accessing it. She didn't know what.

"Obviously, it's not," Anya snapped back. "Maybe you're not explaining it right."

Shaking his head, Cedric laughed humorlessly. "I'm explaining it the same way the books do. _You're_ just being stubborn."

"How am I being stubborn?" she asked indignantly. "I'm out here in the forest, in the cold, with you at least twice a week trying to figure this out. I've done everything you've suggested. What more can I do?"

"Actually want to feed," Cedric deadpanned.

Anya's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course I want to feed, that's whole point of these lessons."

"I don't think you do," Cedric countered, looking thoughtful as he walked toward her. "I think you say you do, but you don't mean it."

"That's —"

"You need to really accept it," Cedric continued over her protests. "The signs are becoming visible — pale, bags under the eyes, and even your veins are becoming more pronounced — and I'm not always going to be around to help you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You still have another whole year of school. I'm not going to be able to pop in whenever and make sure you've fed. You've got to be able to take care of yourself," he explained, his concern plain.

Sighing, Anya leaned against the boulder and looked up at the overcast sky. She knew Cedric was right and hated it.

Anya was fine with the books and talking about demonic abilities, but she was lacking in the execution. She'd yet to tap into the "life force." Cedric had expected it to take a few tries, but not weeks. None of his suggestions had worked; she just couldn't seem to connect. Both of them were losing patience, but Cedric was growing concerned, as well. He could see the toll it was taking on her. He could help her feed if things got too bad, but he wanted her to figure out how to do it on her own. She'd never get her other abilities under control if she couldn't manage to feed.

"What will you do?" she asked, half-stalling and half-genuinely curious. "Next year?"

"Haven't thought much about it," Cedric said, shrugging. "My current focus is on making sure you can keep yourself alive without me. Try again."

Anya made a face at him, but did as he instructed anyway. She needed to figure this out if only so he couldn't boss her around anymore. She sat on the ground this time, not wanting to climb back onto the boulder, and tried to mentally situate herself. Feeding was almost like mediating, at least for beginners. Cedric could feed off of anything, or anyone, with a simple touch and little mental exertion. Anya, however, had to go through the process of clearing her mind while focusing on the energy around her.

She could sense it. There was a pulsing force surrounding her, just under the surface. Anya could feel it in the ground underneath her and the boulder at her back, but she couldn't access it. Taking a deep breath, she fought through her frustration. If she didn't give into being annoyed, maybe she could actually do it this time.

She imagined a glowing, blue light that coated every living thing. It wasn't something she'd read in one of the books — not even demons could _see_ the life force — but it helped to visualize it. Anya saw herself reaching out to touch the glow, pretending it was something tangible. Suddenly, she felt a cool, tingly sensation flow through her whole body. It passed quickly, leaving her feeling better than she had in days.

"Did I do it?" she asked, opening her eyes.

Cedric was sitting across from her now, searching her face. His prolonged silence unnerved her; making her wonder if she'd done something wrong.

"I think you did," Cedric said, sounding pleased. "All of the signs of hunger are gone. How do you feel?"

"Better," she said, smiling. "I don't feel...sluggish anymore. That wasn't so bad."

Cedric rolled his eyes. "I told you it wouldn't hurt. The next step is being able to feed without going through the whole meditation thing."

"Couldn't let me have this one, could you?" she sighed.

"Get up," he directed, moving to stand up. "You know, you will have to feed off of people at some point. Siphoning energy from nature is only a quick fix."

"One thing at a time."

She really didn't want to think about feeding off of other people. It was invasive and dangerous. If she took too much, she could make the person sick or, worse, kill them. Anya knew Cedric had spent years siphoning energy off of the people around him. Humans, especially those with magic, had stronger life forces and a little could sustain a demon for a few weeks, depending on the demon. He'd repeatedly told her siphoning energy from nature would only nourish her for a few days.

Cedric was looking at his watch, and she noticed his jaw clench in irritation. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. Anya didn't mean to be difficult. She supposed she simply needed to be able to fight something given everything else going on in her life. It was unfortunate Cedric happened to be that something.

"Do we need to head back?" Anya asked, wiping loose grass and fallen leaves off of her pants.

He nodded. "It'll be dark soon."

Cedric made it a point for them to be back from the forest before the sun went down. He said it was less suspicious to come back during the daylight. Anya didn't think it mattered, but she didn't mind. She needed a time limit for these meetings; otherwise Cedric would keep her practicing forever.

"So when can we start working on the other things?" she asked, trying to avoid any stray roots as she walked. "Like the speed or suggestion?"

"I reckon when they start to show themselves," Cedric said with a shrug. "I imagine the more you feed, the more present they'll be."

"A little hung up on the feeding thing, aren't you?"

"It's necessary, Anya," Cedric said, frustrated again. "The life force fuels you _and_ your powers."

"I get it, I do," she said, growing annoyed. "I just — how do you do it? Feed off of people and not feel guilty."

"It's necessary," he repeated matter-of-factly. "No one gets hurt, as I've told you a hundred times."

"But they can and it seems so intimate," she argued, glancing at him as they walked to gauge his reaction. "I mean, you've only fed off of your exes."

"That's because it was convenient," Cedric explained nonchalantly. "But I've siphoned off energy with a simple pat on the back from most of my friends at one time or another. As long as you're discreet and don't take too much, no one even notices."

Anya was silent, thinking over what Cedric had said. She still wasn't sold on the whole feeding thing, but she did want to be able to use her powers. Feeding was necessary either way; she may as well get an extra benefit or two from it.

With a resigned sigh she said, "Fine, you win."

Cedric nodded his head, looking neither pleased nor triumphant in her acceptance. She'd have thought he would at least be relieved that she wouldn't be fighting with him as much. Instead, he seemed trapped in his thoughts.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, stopping a few yards from the main entrance.

He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Yeah, I was just wondering what the Death Eaters had hoped to accomplish with an engineered demon-hybrid army? _You_ still have your own thoughts, your own will. Is that something they would have rid you of later? Or would they have relied on simple brainwashing?"

"All good questions, and I don't have the answers to any of them," she said grimly. While at her aunt and uncle's for the funeral, she'd taken the journals Lilith had sent there for safekeeping. She'd read through them many times, but the end objective of Anya's existence remained elusive.

"It doesn't make sense to raise an army either," Anya mused. "Too slow."

"I could ask my dad to look into it," Cedric suggested. "There may be something in the archives or a hint of something."

Anya hesitated. "I don't know."

"I can be discreet," Cedric persuaded. "I'll say your mother's trial made me curious. I won't mention you at all."

After a few moments of thinking it over, Anya relented. "All right, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask."

"I'll write him tomorrow, then."

As they resumed walking toward the castle, Anya asked, "Are you ready for the second task?"

The second task of the Triwizard tournament was two days away. The school was abuzz with excitement; everyone speculating what the champions would face this time. Anya wouldn't pretend she wasn't excited, but she was also thankful because the event pulled the attention off of her.

In the weeks since the trial, things around Anya had quieted down, allowing her to have something resembling her old, normal life. Thanks to a lack of new information and Anya not turning into a monster in the middle of Charms, the rumors surrounding her had lessened and she'd returned to relative anonymity. With the lack of attention on her, she'd finally been able to calm down a little. She'd managed to have a few slightly less awkward conversations with Harry, and had written a letter to James. The letter wasn't much more than a thank you note, but it was something. Slowly, she was starting to enjoy being at Hogwarts again.

"I'd say so," Cedric said, looking a little smug. "Should be a piece of cake."

"So what is it? What do you have to do?"

"I can't tell you that!" Cedric said with fake indignation. "We're sworn to secrecy, you know."

Anya laughed. "Oh c'mon. I'm not going to tell anyone. Just a hint?"

Cedric smiled as he held open the door for them, enjoying a more relaxed interaction with Anya than what they'd have of late. Pretending to cave, he said, "Ok, one hint: I have to find something."

"Find something? Seems rather simple after dodging a dragon," Anya commented, unimpressed. She was trying to goad him into revealing more, though he probably wouldn't.

"Does saying it'll be something I'll "sorely miss" help?" he asked, following her into the Great Hall.

They took their usual spot at the end of the Slytherin table. At least, it was their usual spot on the days of Anya's lessons. Even though they were feeding their demon sides, the effort it required also left them starved for real food. After lessons, they headed straight to the Great Hall for an early dinner. No one had said anything about or to them — a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin — eating together. Though they did receive some unwelcoming looks from a few of Anya's housemates, including from those who allegedly supported Cedric in the tournament.

"Depends, what would you sorely miss?" she teased. Piling food on her plate, she missed his pointed look. When she turned her focus on him again, he had what appeared to be an amused smirk on his face.

"What?" she asked with an uncomfortable laugh. Anya had a feeling she'd missed something.

She enjoyed this extra time she had with him. Her lessons weren't what she would call fun, and Cedric spent most of them trying not to kill her out of frustration. Sometimes he'd be too annoyed to talk much during dinner, but he was usually in a good mood once they were done for the day. Anya had considered them to be good friends before but was learning there was a lot they didn't know about each other.

For example, Cedric both loved and hated being a prefect. While he thoroughly enjoyed the privileges — such as a private bathroom — and authority it gave him, he lacked the patience to deal with his housemates' problems. It was usually a first or second year freaking out about classes, requiring Cedric to calm them down and reassure them that they'd be fine and could come to him or the other prefect with questions. But he really had no patience for petty fights between friends or couples, who always seemed to want his input. Once or twice, he'd used his power of suggestion to quickly resolve the disagreements. Of course, all of this resulted in more hero worship from his housemates, which had only increased once he became a champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

"Then why did you put your name in the goblet?" Anya had asked when he'd complained about the attention from the younger students.

Cedric had shrugged. "I don't know. I thought it'd be fun, and I wanted to see…"

"Wanted to see what?" Anya had questioned, her interested peaked by his sudden hesitancy.

"Nothing," he'd responded and quickly turned the conversation back to Anya.

Weeks later, Anya was still curious about his secret reason for entering the tournament. She didn't question him though, believing everyone had a right to some secrets. Even if they often left Anya feeling like she was missing a key bit of information. Like now.

"Just remembering something. What would you miss?" he asked, turning the question around.

Anya took her time to answer, chewing thoughtfully on a roasted potato. "I don't know," she started slowly, "either Lily's journal or Grandmother's scrapbook, I guess."

"Really?" Cedric asked, sounding surprised. "Why those?"

"Sentimental reasons, I guess. You still haven't said what yours is," she stated, giving him a pointed look.

"I'll guess we'll find out in a couple of days," Cedric said with a mischievous smirk. Anya felt heat rise on the back of her neck and looked away.

There was one downside to spending all this time with Cedric: her old crush was resurfacing. Her crush had first formed when he'd started tutoring her in her third year. He'd always been attractive and everyone knew he was smart, but he was also fun to be around. Anya hadn't been able to stop herself from forming a crush on him. But it was also one she'd quickly squashed, not wanting to embarrass herself like so many other girls.

Now she found herself trying to repress those feelings again. A goal that wasn't helped by her friends' insistence Cedric liked her in a romantic sense. Well, it was really Amethyst who wasn't helping things; Kat was still preoccupied with her boyfriend.

Cedric's gaze slid from Anya's face to something behind her. Anya glanced over her shoulder to see a group of Ravenclaws studying them. Cho was at the center, glaring at her. Anya turned back around and uncomfortably pushed the food around her plate with her fork. Cho, Cedric's on-again-off-again girlfriend, had never liked Anya. She was convinced Anya was trying to steal Cedric from her, even though Anya and Cedric had been friends long before he started dating Cho. Anya had never figured out why Cho was so suspicious of her. Not that it should matter now since they'd been broken up for almost a year. Apparently Cho, however, wasn't quite over the breakup.

Or Cedric had, once again, changed his mind. Anya didn't feel very hungry anymore.

"I need to get started on my Ancient Runes homework. I have three translations to do and they're two pages each," she said, getting up from the table. Cedric made to follow her, so she quickly said, "That's ok, you can finish your dinner and see whatever Cho's unhappy about."

He opened his mouth to say something but Anya had already turned away and was walking out of the Great Hall. As she tried to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment, Cedric stared after in total confusion.

* * *

Anya had not gone back to her dormitory to do homework. She did have the Ancient Runes work, but only had one more translation to do and the whole assignment wasn't due until Monday. Instead, she was reading an entry an in Lily's journal and telling herself she wasn't upset about Cho and Cedric possibly being back together. Because why else would Cho glare at Anya like that?

 _15 August 1980_

 _I finally got the baby to sleep. Harry was unusually fussy tonight; it took an hour to calm him down. It's probably my fault; he must sense my stress. James is on a mission for the Order with Sirius. I know he'll be fine but I'm still worried. It's the first mission he's been on since Harry was born and Dumbledore is worried about this prophecy. He thinks we'll need to go into hiding soon…_

The door to the dormitory was thrown open, startling Anya. She looked up to see an upset Katrina enter the room and dramatically fall face-first on her bed where she proceeded to sob. Something must have happened with the boyfriend. Anya returned to the journal.

Amethyst, trailing behind, followed Katrina into the room. She cleared her throat to get Anya's attention, pointedly looking at Kat's pathetic form. Amethyst wanted Anya to help comfort the sad girl on the bed between them. Anya wasn't in the mood. She shook her head and mouthed "no." Fed up with both of her friends' pettiness, Amethyst angrily mouthed "now" and pointed her wand threateningly.

With an annoyed groan, Anya closed the journal, placing safely in her night table. "What's the matter Kat?" she asked, her tone flat. Amethyst's glare, a rare sight, deepened in intensity.

Of the three of them, Amethyst had always been the most levelheaded and patient. With her long, wispy blonde hair and tendency to hole up in strange places around the castle to draw or sketch, she was something of a hippie. Her passive nature made her an odd fit for Slytherin and most people assumed she must be a pure-blood (she wasn't). But she was cunning, often sneaking in contraband items to the dormitory or passing a pop quiz by glancing at her neighbor's paper without ever once being caught. And right now, she was hundred percent done with Kat and demanding, albeit silently, that Anya deal with her.

"Y-you d-d-don't care!" Kat sobbed into her pillow.

"You're right, I don't," Anya said calmly. She still felt betrayed and abandoned by Kat and wasn't going to let it go just because her friend had a fight with whatever boy she was dating. At least, she wasn't letting it go yet. "But Amethyst is done trying to help, so it's my turn. Tell me what happened with Alex."

"Alec," Kat corrected, turning her head to glare at Anya. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was wet from tears. She'd clearly been crying for a while. Meanwhile, Amethyst threw her hands up and collapsed on her own bed, rubbing her face in frustration. Anya knew Amethyst would lose it if she didn't make an effort.

"Whatever. What did he do?" Though her tone was a little harsh, she handed Kat the box of tissues from her nightstand.

"What do you think?" Kat snapped, pausing to blow her nose. "He broke up with me."

"Why?"

Kat shrugged helplessly. "Why else? There's another girl. He's decided he still has feelings for a girl back home, an ex-girlfriend actually."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Anya's apology was genuine; she understood a little bit of how this particular rejection hurt. "Well, fuck him."

Kat laughed while cleaning her face with one of the tissues. "I know it's silly; that it wouldn't have lasted anyway. But it hurts, you know, not being the one picked hurts."

"I do," Anya said softly, more to herself than to Kat who looked upset again.

"I didn't pick him over you," she said quickly. "I know it looked like that but I swear that's not what I did. It was just nice for someone to see me; you were getting so much attention — "

"My grandmother was murdered and my mother sent to Azkaban which were the reasons for that attention. That's not really something to be jealous of," Anya commented, her tone hard again.

"I know," Kat said, shamefully looking down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Just forget it," Anya said, relenting. She was still upset with how Kat had acted but she would get over it. Despite Kat's bravado, she sometimes let her insecurities take control. Anya hoped Kat would grow out of it. However, it wasn't worth ruining their friendship over either.

"You're both ridiculous," Amethyst grumbled from her bed. Kat laughed, using her wand to send her used tissues to the trash bin.

"What were you looking at anyway?" Kat asked, gesturing toward the nightstand.

"Oh, er, it's Lily's journal," Anya mumbled. She was usually careful about letting people see her with the journal. She didn't want to share it and was worried someone might try to take to sell to the _Prophet_ , which wasn't that far-fetched given how prolific Rita Skeeter's "reporting" had been so far this year.

Amethyst sat up, suddenly interested in the conversation. "What's that been like? Reading it, I mean."

Anya shrugged. It felt invasive to read Lily's private thoughts, even though she'd been given permission. And if she wanted to get to know who Lily was, this really was her only option. "It's interesting, I guess. It's a little weird to read someone's journal."

"I can see that," Amethyst said thoughtfully.

"Learned anything interested?" Kat asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, anything?"

Anya shrugged. "She was normal. She had friends and liked her classes…. She joined the rebellion against You-Know-Who right out of Hogwarts."

"Wow," Kat said, looking impressed. "Can you imagine?"

Anya and Amethyst both shook their heads no. None of the girls could imagine finishing school only to fight in a war — not to mention getting marred and having kids. Life was so different now than what it had been when Lily was their age. The occasional weird thing had happened, especially at Hogwarts, since the end of the war but it was always resolved quickly and rarely had any lasting impression on how people lived. No one lived in fear any more.

Then Anya remembered Lilith. She'd been afraid, almost terrified, during their final discussion and it had nothing to do with the dementors. Lilith was certain He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would return, and soon. If she was right, and Anya truly hoped she wasn't, they wouldn't have to imagine what it'd been like for Lily. They would get to experience it for themselves.

"Did she — " Amethyst stopped mid-question, looking unsure and apologetic.

"Did she what?"

"Did she know about you?" Amethyst asked quietly, unable to meet Anya's eyes.

Anya felt a lump form in her throat and cleared it. She needed to stop letting that question upset her. James and Lily had been in hiding; there was no way for them to have known they were going to have twins. Despite her attempt to appear nonchalant when she spoke, her voice broke and a single tear trailed down her cheek. "No, not even the vaguest suspicion."

* * *

 **AN: Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Hey Anya, wait up!" Cedric called weaving between the crowd of students outside the Herbology greenhouses.

Anya and her friends huddled together for warmth outside of Greenhouse Four for warmth, waiting as the fourth-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins from the previous class trickled outside. She groaned upon spotting Cedric running toward her. She was so close to being in the warmth of the greenhouse and he wanted to talk in the freezing, snowy courtyard.

"What?" she asked snappishly, walking toward him.

He hesitated, his eyes shooting to where Kat and Amethyst stood a few feet away. "Er, I wanted to tell you that I can't meet tonight because I need to prep for the task tomorrow."

"Oh, ok." She'd assumed his hurried manner meant he had something important to tell her. He could've found her in the Great Hall during lunch. In fact, she was fairly certain he should be on his to Charms class right now. Confused by his odd priorities, she asked, "Is there something else?"

Again, he hesitated, which was unusual for him. He almost seemed nervous, though she couldn't imagine why. "Um, yeah," he continued, lowering his voice. "I-I took care of the Cho issue."

Anya's confusion increased and she felt that sinking disappointment again. "So I wasn't imagining that look last night," she quipped, affecting a nonchalant attitude. "We should probably cut down on the lessons for a while. You know how she gets."

"What? No, that's — "

"I have to go," Anya interrupted. "Class is about to start." She paused, and with a weak smile said, "Good luck tomorrow."

In her haste, she missed Cedric's bafflement. He watched her walk into the greenhouse, wondering what he'd said wrong. She seemed to think he and Cho were back together; something Cedric vowed would never happen again. Remembering he was supposed to be in class, he turned back toward the castle. He would clear things up later.

Anya slipped into her place between her friends, quickly removing her outerwear. The warmth of the greenhouse felt wonderful. Unlike Cedric, she couldn't use her new powers to regulate her body temperature. Until then, she had to suffer the cold like everyone else.

"What was that about?" Kat asked, obviously working to keep the judgment out of her voice.

"Nothing," Anya said dismissively, tying her long hair back into a ponytail. It always seemed to get in the way in Herbology class.

"If it's nothing, then why do you look upset?" she challenged, right eyebrow arching.

"He's not back with Cho, is he?" Amethyst asked. Her soft voice had a hint of disappointment in it, making Anya feel worse. Was she that transparent?

"Looks like it. I guess I'll need another tutor. It's fine," she reassured, noticing their disbelief. "It's not a big deal."

Her two friends shared a look, frustrating Anya more with their pity. She turned her attention to her station and busied herself with setting it up for class.

"It's ok to be upset," Amethyst said gently.

"And it's ok to admit you have feelings," Kat added.

"Can we just focus on the lesson?" Anya snapped. She didn't want to talk about it. She was just as embarrassed as she was disappointed. Her friends shared another look but let the subject drop, faking a sudden interest in whatever plant they were working with that day. Anya half-heartedly participated as she tried not to dwell on the Cedric situation.

Later that night, Anya was in the Slytherin common room helping a few fifth years with their Ancient Runes homework. She'd successfully avoided Cedric for the rest of the day, which was saying something when he kept showing up everywhere. Luckily for her, everyone was excited about the task tomorrow and kept surrounding him wherever he was, trying to find out what to expect tomorrow.

She and the two fifth years were huddled together in front of the fireplace, their books spread about the coffee table between them. Its location under the lake made the common room cold year-round, but the increased winter chill made it almost unbearable. The fire burned non-stop from October to mid-April and students often cast warming charms on clothing or blankets. While the underwater views were great, Anya wasn't sure the constant cold and dim, green-tinted light were worth the aesthetic. Clearly, Slytherin had never lived down here himself.

"You've mistranslated this word here," Anya said. Scarlet, who was blonde, who sat next to her narrowed her eyes, looking to the word Anya was pointing to. "Check your dictionary."

"Snape wants to see you in the staff room."

Anya glanced up to see Pansy Parkinson leaning against the back of the couch opposite of her. Pansy had never liked Anya, mainly because Malfoy didn't, but the feeling had only increased since the events at Christmas. Unlike with most people she didn't like, Pansy usually ignored Anya's existence. She looked very put out to have been forced to deliver this message.

"Now? What for?"

"Yes, now," Pansy said, rolling her eyes. "And, hopefully, to kick you out of this house, blood traitor."

She stormed off, leaving Anya to roll her eyes and the two fifth years bracing for retaliation. Anya had, evidently, earned herself a bit of reputation with her attacks on Malfoy and Ezra, who had been pulled out of school by his parents not long after their encounter. No one knew where he was and his younger sister, Daphne, never mentioned him. Anya had approached her once but she'd mumbled something about "family business" and walked away without ever looking at her. Anya supposed she'd burnt that bridge.

"If I'm not back before you finish, just drop my notes off in my room, ok?" Scarlet nodded, taking the notebook from Anya's hands. She hoped the meeting, or whatever it was, wouldn't take long — and that it wasn't any more bad news from home.

As she walked along the almost deserted passages, she felt her anxiety grow with every step. She sped up, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. When she reached the staff room on the second floor, she was slightly out of breath. Composing herself, she knocked on the door, which was immediately answered by Snape.

"Come in, Miss Thorn, and take a seat."

Anya walked past him to see Dumbledore, McGonagall, Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime standing by the fireplace in quiet discussion. Ron, Hermione, and a young platinum blonde girl that looked like a mini Fleur sat at the table, all looking apprehensive. Anya was relieved. Whatever was going on didn't involve bad news from home. She took a seat next to Hermione, sure her own confusion was apparent in her expression. Snape cleared his throat, announcing her presence to the other professors.

"Ah, good. Now we can start," Dumbledore said calmly. He walked over to a kettle that had been sitting on a side table and began pouring its contents into four teacups. "Thank you all for joining us. I have the duty of informing that all of you have been selected to participate in the second task."

McGonagall scoffed, clearly disapproving that decision while Karkaroff and Maxime looked unbothered. Snape was standing out of Anya's eye line but she was sure he was unbothered by this turn of events. Dumbledore distributed four teacups to them as if he hadn't heard McGonagall's audible dissatisfaction.

"Excuse me, sir," Hermione asked, ever the inquisitive student. "But _how_ will be participating?"

"An excellent question, Miss Granger. Your roles will be rather easy. Tomorrow, the champions will search the lake for something that has been taken from them, something they hold very dear to them. That something is you. They champions will have an hour to retrieve you. It's perfectly safe, and you'll be returned to the surface once the task is over, regardless of the success of your individual champion."

"Wait, we're going to be held at the bottom of the lake? How?" Ron asked, sounding a little panicked.

Anya didn't blame him. Magic or no, sitting on the bottom of the lake wasn't something she'd volunteer to do. Not that it seemed they had a choice in the matter. She glanced over at the others and saw her own wariness reflected in their faces. The little girl looked terrified yet McGonagall remained the only adult who showed any concern.

"You'll be asleep for all of this, of course," Dumbledore explained. Anya wondered if he was remaining calm so they would. If so, it wasn't working. Hermione and Ron had both paled and the girl was close to tears. Anya felt her heart beat rapidly in panic. "And another spell will allow you to breath normally underwater. It'll be like taking a long, refreshing nap."

"If you'll just drink the tea in front of you, we can move this along," Snape drawled. His tone confirming he was unconcerned about three of his pupil, one of whom was in his House, being used as bait and placed unconscious at the bottom of the lake.

Accepting they had no choice, they all picked up a teacup and took hesitant sips. The sleeping draught was strong. Anya was already feeling effects after one sip but they were encouraged to drink the whole cup. In her sleepy haze, part of her realized they needed such a strong dose because of how long they were going to be asleep. Before she passed out, she couldn't help but wonder why this had to be done the night before instead of the morning of the task, and why they were using people instead of actual objects. Even if it was all part of some ancient rulebook, she felt they should seriously consider updating it.

The next thing Anya knew was that she was very cold and very wet. Wiping her dark hair out of her face, she tilted her head up to see Cedric, who was swimming on his back and pulling her along with him. His face was hard, the clench of his jaw noticeable. She knew it wasn't from the effort of swimming with her; this was nothing considering his unnatural strength. No, he was mad about something.

"What are you so pissy about?" she asked, pulling away to swim the rest of the way on her own. "I'm the one who's been at the bottom of the lake for Merlin knows how long."

Cedric maintained his stony silence. Anya rolled her eyes; she would never understand him. "Are you the last back?"

"No, first," he grunted.

"You should be happy, then," Anya said, growing more confused by his cranky demeanor.

"Here," he said, ignoring her comment and offering her his hand, "it's shallow enough that we can walk the rest of the way."

Her clothes were obviously soaked through, causing her to shiver violently as soon as she stood up and was exposed to the cold air. Cedric, who was dressed in his athletic uniform minus the robes, had an easier time wading through the water than Anya, whose waterlogged robe was causing her to stumble through the shallows. Cedric slowed to help her while waving to the cheering crowd. Upon reaching the shore, they were ushered to the medical tent where Madame Pomfrey was waiting with a Pepperup potion.

"What's wrong?" Anya asked again, sipping her potion and hugging the dry blanket closer to trap whatever warmth she could. "You won."

Cedric didn't answer, letting Madame Pomfrey finish her inspection of some minor burns and scratches on his left arm. A few grindylows had surprised him on the way down and he'd used his arm to block his face. When Madam Pomfrey finished her inspection and left, Cedric moved to Anya's cot to sit next to her.

"How do you feel?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Cold, but fine. What's your problem?"

"You shouldn't be cold," he said, barely able to control his anger. "What did they give you?"

"I don't know, just a regular sleeping draught," she said, her brow furrowed in confusion. "And what do mean I shouldn't be cold? It's February and I'm wet. Plus, I haven't been able to regulate my body temp like you can."

"Doesn't matter," Cedric said, adjusting her blanket so she was covered better. "It should happen on its in own, especially in extreme circumstances. I don't consciously regulate my body temperature."

"Maybe it's because I wasn't born with these abilities," Anya mused. "Maybe I don't have all the some ones you do or they work differently for me?"

"That's the point," he hissed. "What if the sleeping draught hadn't worked? You had no idea you would have reacted to it now that you're not taking the suppressant. You could have woken up, and then what would have happened?"

She took Cedric's hand with her free one, giving a reassuring squeeze. "I'd have swam to the surface," she quipped. He wasn't amused. Gently, she said, "You're overreacting; I'm fine. You can freak out if I get sick or fall down dead."

Glaring, he said, "That's not funny, Anya."

"Well, I tried," she muttered. "Can you pretend to be happy when you get back out there? You just won the second task; you need to look excited about it even if you aren't."

He gripped her hand tighter but seemed to relax otherwise. With a sigh, he said, "How can you be so calm?"

"Because I'm not a worrywart like you," she teased, finally getting him to crack a smile. "Don't hurt yourself, ease into the happy feelings."

"Shut up," he muttered, nudging her shoulder with his own.

They were laughing when a frenzied group came in carrying someone on a stretcher. They took the person to the back of the tent and quickly drew the curtains for privacy. Anya was only able to catch a glimpse of platinum blonde hair before her view was blocked. She wondered if it was Fleur or the girl who had been in the staff room last night.

"You think she's all right?" Anya asked, hearing the girl loudly moan in pain.

"She will be," Cedric reassured. "I'm sure it's just a bad grindylow attack. They're the only slightly dangerous things down there. Well, I suppose the merpeople or giant squid could be dangerous, but the merpeople didn't seem threatening and I think all the noise has the squid in hiding."

"Merpeople?"

"Yeah, they had you all tied up in the middle of their village. It was, er, interesting."

"I can't imagine," Anya said sarcastically. "Aren't you used to seeing the floating, sleeping bodies of your classmates?"

"No," Cedric deadpanned. "I'm not, and I'd like not to see it again. It was too much like seeing a bunch of dead people floating in the water."

"You handled fighting a dragon much better than swimming in a lake," Anya observed. "Arguably, this was a much safer challenge."

"Last time, it was just me who might get hurt," he muttered, lowering his voice again when Krum and Hermione entered the tent. "This time, other people were a risk."

"I'm fine," she said, squeezing again his hand for emphasis. She hadn't realized she was still holding it and, feeling a little embarrassed, released it. She thought he was disappointed, but the look passed too quickly for her to be sure.

"Harry should be back by now," Cedric commented, watching Madame Pomfrey fuss over Krum and Hermione who had just been escorted into the tent.

"What do you mean?"

"He was the first one there; he beat me," Cedric explained, turning his attention back to Anya. "He should have been back before Krum at least."

"I'm sure he's fine," Anya said, trying to ignore the concern Cedric's words made her feel. "They wouldn't let anyone get seriously hurt. The game committee or whatever promised they had more safety precautions this time."

"Yeah, and there's only supposed be three champions who are all of age. Stay here," he said, pushing himself off of the cot. "I'll see if there's something going on."

He was gone before she could protest, leaving her to fidget anxiously and wait for his return. Noticing her agitation, Hermione walked across the tent to her.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked cautiously, clearly unsure about approaching Anya. While Anya and Harry had talked a little, she hadn't spent any time getting to know his friends. She had a feeling they didn't like her much.

"Cedric says Harry should have been back by now. He went to see what was happening."

Hermione's face was instantly clouded with worry.

"You think he's right to worry, don't you?" Anya asked, watching her reactions.

"Maybe." Anya noticed she was now nervously bouncing on her heels and watching the tent flap. "I'm sure they wouldn't let anyone get hurt, but…Harry does have a bit of a hero complex. If _he_ thought someone was in real trouble…"

Bagman escorted Cedric back inside the tent and left without a word. Cedric stalked over to Anya and Hermione, obviously frustrated. He regarded Hermione warily as he sat down next to Anya, effectively creating a border between the two.

"What's going on?" Anya asked.

"He hasn't returned, but they're not worried — even after I told them he was the first to reach you all," Cedric complained, taking particular offense to not being ignored. "They think he probably just ran into some grindylows and it slowed down his return."

"The hour time limit is well past," Hermione muttered, more to herself than to them. She spun on her heel and walked out of the tent without another word.

"What does she think she can do?" Cedric asked. They watched as a confused Krum follow after her, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's admonishments to stay inside and warm up.

Anya shrugged. "No idea, but she's Hermione Granger. She's pretty good at arguing."

"They won't tell her anything."

"I'm sure he's fine," Anya repeated. If something happened to Harry, James would be devastated. It was evident to anyone who looked at him that he'd never recovered from losing Lily. Anya didn't want to see what would become of him if Harry died.

"Are you feeling any better?" Cedric asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hmm? Definitely warmer."

Suddenly, they heard a deafening cheer from the direction of the lake. Everyone who could stand ran to tent entrance to see the cause.

"I guess Harry's fine," Cedric said, smirking. "Shall we?"

Anya nodded, setting down her glass. They took the blankets with them. Cedric's was more for appearances' sake, but Anya still needed hers. They walked over to where Hermione and Krum stood on the shore, watching as Percy Weasley dragged his brother out of the water and Harry helped mini Fleur. Anya was slightly jostled as someone pushed past her. It was Fleur, rushing to her sister and followed by a very annoyed Madame Pomfrey.

"See? Everyone's alive," she said as she and Cedric came to a stop near Hermione and Krum. Hermione took off immediately to check on her friends. Krum sulked after her; not happy her attention was so focused elsewhere.

"Do you want to run down there, too?" Cedric asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Not really," Anya sighed. "I feel I've been stared at enough today, but I suppose we _do_ have to join them."

"C'mon, we'll keep to the back," Cedric said with a small smile. "Plus, you need to look more like a caring sibling. Weasley and Delacour are putting you to shame."

Anya shrugged. "He's clearly fine. We're all fine, just cold and wet."

"We will most definitely be keeping to the back," Cedric said, shaking his head. Now that the threat of danger had passed, she could act as if it was all nothing.

"Fine by me," she muttered. "I hate all of this. I really wish the thing you'd miss the most had actually been a _thing_."

Cedric blushed furiously. "I thought we just wouldn't mention that."

"Oh no, we'll be talking about that later," Anya laughed, as they walked down the shoreline to join the others. "It's only fair. I was drugged and tied up in a lake because of you."

* * *

 **AN: Get ready for some awkward teenage interactions (and please review)!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So you and Harry are tied for first."

"Yep."

"And? Are you ok with that?"

Anya and Cedric were trekking back up to the castle about an hour after the second task ended. Madam Pomfrey had insisted on checking all of them before allowing them to leave the champions' tent. When she was satisfied they'd drunk enough Pepperup potion and weren't experiencing any unusual side effects from grindylow run-ins, she'd used a charm to dry them the rest of the way and let them leave.

Cedric was walking slow to keep pace with Anya, who was inexplicably feeling exhausted. Having spent most of the day asleep, she expected to have more energy. As she struggled through the snow, she tried to ignore Cedric's returning concern. She'd eat dinner, go to bed, and be fine tomorrow. Cedric should be celebrating his win, not worrying about her.

"It's fine," Cedric said, sounding bored. "I don't really care about the tournament anymore."

"Wha-what do you mean?" Anya asked, breathing heavily. She stopped in order to catch her breath, clutching her side where a stitch had formed. "Don't you want to win?"

He stopped next to her, his brow furrowed in open concern. He placed his hand on her back, in what Anya thought was meant to be a comforting gesture, but then she felt that familiar cool, tingly feeling spread throughout her body. Suddenly, she felt fine and her breathing returned to normal.

"Thanks but, um, what exactly did you just do?" she asked, angling face up to look at him.

"I shared some of my energy with you," he explained, adding, "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt me."

"Thanks," she repeated. They resumed walking to the castle and Anya remembered her earlier question. "Why don't you care about the tournament anymore?"

Cedric hesitated, biting his lower lip as he thought. Finally, he said, "There are more important things to worry about now."

"Like what?"

Just then, they spotted two figures running toward them and hollering something neither could quite make out. As they came closer, Anya recognized the figures as Ethan Collins and Lucas Worthington, two of Cedric's friends. They came to a stop in front of them, panting and sweaty from their sprint.

"What's — taking — so — long?" Collins wheezed from his doubled-over stance.

"Yeah, we-we're waiting to celebrate your win in the common room," Worthington chimed in, clutching his left side.

Anya smiled at their excitement. At least his house was excited for him even if he wasn't. "Madam Pomfrey insisted on making us drink about a pint of Pepperup potion before we could leave," Anya supplied. "And I'm having a little trouble getting through the snow."

Collins straightened up and assessed her, then smirked. "Well, I'm sure Cedric didn't mind the slower pace."

Cedric's ears burned pink as he glared at his friend. Anya felt the back of her neck flush with heat and prayed her face didn't betray her. Pretending what he'd said hadn't bothered her, she asked, "So how will you be celebrating?"

"Don't tell h-her," Worthington said, still trying to catch his breath as they all walked back to the castle. "We can't share house secrets with a Slytherin."

Anya rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"But maybe we would if you tell us what it was like to be at the bottom of the lake," Collins bargained. Anya hesitated, afraid of where this line of questioning could go. But Cedric didn't seem bothered by the question, so she figured it was safe.

"Sadly, I can't. I was unconscious until we reached the surface. Maybe you can get Cedric to recount his adventure at this secretive celebration you're having."

Collins groaned. "Cedric is the worst storyteller."

"Fuck off," Cedric snapped, ears now a bright red. Anya could no longer tell if he was mad or embarrassed. He'd been unusually quiet since his friends showed up. She wasn't used to seeing this side of him, normally he'd be laughing along with them.

Finally, they reached the castle, hit with a wall of welcoming warmth as they stepped inside. Anya shrugged off the blanket she'd been using in lieu of a cloak. Cedric, who hadn't needed one, held his hand out, an offer to hold the blanket. She handed it to him, missing the shared glance between Collins and Worthington.

With a mischievous look, Worthington asked, "So why were _you_ held hostage at the bottom of the lake?"

Anya nearly tripped down the stairs as they made their way down to the dungeons, but recovered before anyone could notice. Affecting a playful tone, she said, "I was just about to ask Cedric the same thing."

The two boys sniggered while Cedric muttered something under his breath. She tried to catch Cedric's eye, but he avoided her gaze. It was clear she wouldn't be able to talk to him tonight. That was fine; he could celebrate his win. She'd talk to him about whatever might be going on between them tomorrow.

"Well," she said, breaking away from the group. "I'm off to bed. Have fun at your party."

Giving Cedric a subtle yet meaningful look, she turned around and walked in the opposite direction of them toward the Slytherin common room. Her stomach gave a loud growl and she wondered if she could talk Amethyst or Kat into bringing her food down from dinner so she could take advantage of the quiet dormitory and get some sleep.

Just as she was about to give the password, the stone wall opened to reveal Kat and Amethyst coming out of the passageway. They were speaking in hushed voices and wearing worried expressions that changed to relief as soon as they saw her. Both girls rushed forward and crushed Anya in a hug, slightly knocking the air out of her.

"Where have you been?" Kat demanded, releasing Anya, who was able to breathe a little better. Amethyst was still squeezing the life out of her, so she awkwardly tapped her friend's back to cue her to let go. She did, looking apologetic.

"Madam Pomfrey held us back until she was sure we wouldn't die from the cold," Anya explained.

"Why were you in the lake to begin with? Couldn't you tell us? We never saw you come back last night and your bed hadn't been slept in…. When you didn't show up for the task, we really started to panic — and of course we couldn't find Snape. Then you popped out of the water and no one would let us through to see how you were," Amethyst paused mid-rant to catch her breath. Kat stood frozen, unable to process this outburst, and shared a look with Anya that, thankfully, Amethyst missed.

"I'm sorry," Anya said quickly, hoping to stop Amethyst panicked questioning from continuing. "I didn't know that I would be a part of the task. I didn't have the opportunity to tell anyone. But I'm fine, promise."

Amethyst nodded, rhythmically inhaling and exhaling to calm down. She looked close to tears. Anya patted her friend's shoulder comfortingly, wondering why no one had bothered to tell her friends that she was all right. She remembered Percy running toward Ron and realized they must not have told anyone whom the hostages would be. Maybe this tournament wasn't as safe as she and everyone else had been led to believe.

"Why were you in the lake, anyway?" Kat asked, moving past the shock of Amethyst's outburst.

Anya paused, collecting herself so she could answer in a casual manner. "The champions had to retrieve something that was important to them."

"Uh-huh. And you're important to Cedric?" Kat asked suspiciously. "Most people don't put something, or someone, they care about at the bottom of a lake."

"He didn't know. The champions didn't pick who was at the bottom of the lake," Anya said defensively, though still attempting to not make this a big deal. "In fact, I think the school headmasters picked us. Cedric was furious."

"Of course he was," Amethyst chirped, suddenly smiling. "Because you're important to him."

Composure breaking, Anya felt heat return to her face. "We're friends," she said in a firm yet lame attempt at an explanation. Neither girl bought it and they dissolved into laughter. She glared at both them; so much for their concern.

* * *

"You're sure you don't want to go to Hogsmeade with us, Amethyst? It'll be fun."

The girls were having breakfast the morning after the second task. Kat and Anya had planned to go down to Hogsmeade for the morning for shopping and lunch at the Three Broomsticks, deciding they needed a relaxing girls' day. They'd been trying to persuade Amethyst to go with them but she refused. Apparently, she had to work on a new art project and couldn't be delayed. It had been all they could do to get her to join for breakfast.

"For the hundredth time, no," she said exasperatedly. "I need to work on this piece. Today. It's important."

"You're weird," Anya teased. "I guess it's just you and me, Kat. Amethyst's muse is calling."

Amethyst pulled a face, flicking a piece of cubed potato at Anya. "I hate both of you. What do you think is going on over there?"

She nodded to the opposite side of the Hall where the Gryffindors sat where a swarm of owls were descending on the center table. Several students were actually backing up from the table. Suddenly, Hermione Granger broke through the crowd, holding her hands out in front of her as she ran out of the Great Hall. The roaring laughter nearby drew their attention to their own table where Malfoy and his gang sat.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling Malfoy was involved," Anya muttered.

"There's a new Rita Skeeter article," Elizabeth Combes, a third year who had been sitting nearby, said. Sliding her copy of the newspaper toward them, she continued, "I guess Granger has a type. Who knew?"

They angled the paper so they could read the article together. It was quickly apparent why Malfoy and his friends were laughing so hard. Anya felt bad for Hermione; clearly whatever had happened was in response to this article.

"I can't believe this," Kat scoffed. "Anyone with eyes can see Potter and Granger are just friends, practically siblings really."

"Well, Skeeter's not exactly worried about the facts," Anya commented dryly.

"Is Pansy going to Hogsmeade today?" Amethyst seemed to be contemplating something as she watched Pansy laugh with the others.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Don't worry about it." Her lips forming small pleased smile. "I think I'll go see if Madam Pomfrey needs some help. It never hurts to get some early Healer training, you know. See you later."

She got up from the table and practically glided out of the Great Hall. Anya and Kat stared after her with confused looks on their faces. Kat shook head, returning to half-eaten breakfast while Anya carefully burned the page with Skeeter's article on Hermione.

"She's up to something," Kat said.

"Yep."

"Should we find out what?"

"No, I think it's better if we let her do whatever it is she's going to do. Plus, we'll have plausible deniability if we don't know. "

"Good point," Kat sighed. She pushed her food away, watching the last bit of paper turn to ash. "Let's go get our cloaks. We need to have some fun."

* * *

"Oh, thank Merlin," Kat gasped as they stumbled into the Three Broomsticks that afternoon.

The day had unusually cold, even for late February. It had snowed, again, the night before so they'd spent the day trudging through a fresh foot and a half of snow and fighting winds that threatened to push them backward with each step. Still, they'd been determined to have a fun, relaxing day. They'd had fun but also had quite the work out. Anya collapsed into an empty booth, exhausted from the elements and lugging her purchases around all morning. The warmth of the nearby fire was a welcome change from the brutal cold winds outside.

Shedding their heavy cloaks and outwear, they caught their breath. As soon as they settled into their booth, a tired-looking waiter appeared to take their order. They each asked for a butterbeer and hot tea and Anya, realizing how hungry she was, also asked for an order of chips. When the waiter left to place their order, Anya slumped back into her seat.

"You think Madam Rosmerta would let us live here?" Anya asked, already dreading the return trip to the castle.

"Doubtful." Kat, who was also leaning against the back of her bench seat for support, could barely keep her eyes open. "Do you think we bought enough?"

Glancing over their bags full of candy, joke products, and clothes, Anya nodded. "We'll shrink them for the walk back. It'll be easier to fight the wind if we can fit the bags in our pockets."

"You are brilliant," Kat muttered.

Anya put on an air of playful smugness. "I know. Now, wake up. There's no falling asleep at the Three Broomsticks."

"Ugh, fine," Kat groaned, leaning forward in her seat. "But you need to talk to me."

"About what? We've been talking all day."

"I don't know, just pick something." Kat was starting to whine; Anya knew she had to distract her fast. They'd been talking all day but mostly about classes or whatever they were looking at in the shops. Anya couldn't remember the last time they'd talked about Kat's home life.

"Is your mum still travelling?"

Kat rolled her eyes and looked at Anya as if the answer should be obvious. "Of course she is. I'm at school, aren't I? I think she's somewhere in France, but who knows? The last letter she sent was before Christmas so she could be anywhere."

Kat tried to sound bored, like the situation didn't bother her, but Anya knew it did. During their fourth year, Kat returned home for the winter holidays to discover her parents' marriage was more or less a sham. Though they swore they'd once been in love, they no longer were. They'd remain married for financial reasons and for Kat and her older sister, who'd been in her seventh year at the time. They'd promised nothing would change; but everything did.

First, Kat's mother had started travelling all the time. If the girls weren't home, neither was she. Kat and her sister eventually found out their mother was having an affair that had been going on for years. After that discovery, Kat's older sister refused to be home when her mother was. She felt her mother had betrayed the whole family and destroyed their father. Kat, who didn't share her sister's feelings, only saw her a few times a year.

Kat harbored anger toward both parents. Her father had been reserved in his affections and in his attention to all of them, but particularly her mother, for years. She didn't believe her mother had intentionally found someone else but couldn't blame her for it either. What she did blame them for were the lies. They didn't need to stay together for the money. Kat knew her father would give her mother whatever she wanted — he still loved her. They stayed together because they worried about how it would look to their friends and family, ignoring the detriment their continuous fighting had on their relationships with their children. Kat wished they would divorce so they could all move on, and maybe like each other again.

"I'm sorry," Anya said sympathetically. The waiter arrived with their order, creating a momentary break in their conversation. Though the warmth of the pub had done wonders in thawing Anya's fingers and toes, the hot tea helped with the remaining chill that had settled in her body. She took a chip from the basket, asking, "Have you heard from your dad?"

"No but that's not weird," she said, pausing to help herself to the basket that sat between them. "He's never been good about keeping in touch. I did here from my sister though."

"And how is Isabelle?"

"She's good. She was just promoted and is moving in with her boyfriend next month. She stopped by the house a week ago, to check on Dad, and she found some paperwork. I guess Dad's finally decided to divorce Mum."

"How do you feel about that?" Anya asked, carefully watching Kat. After a few moments of thinking, Kat shrugged, her expression still impassive. "I mean, they're my parents. I've always hoped they could work it out but I know that's possible. I guess I'm relieved Dad's finally doing something, you know? I just wish he'd done something sooner."

Anya nodded. She could relate to being disappointed by a parent's actions, even if their experiences were completely different. It had been almost a month since Lilith's trial. Anya was doing her best to move forward and not think about her mother. It wasn't that she didn't miss her, but it was too hard to think about her, especially where she was. There wasn't anything she could do to make the situation better so she didn't think about it. Whenever she found herself wanting to talk to Lilith, she'd write a letter to her aunt. Sometimes she sent it, but usually she tossed it in the fireplace.

"Anyway," Kat mumbled, signaling she was done talking about her family drama. "How horrible do you think the History of Magic exam on Monday will be?"

"Oh, Merlin, it'll haunt us for _years_ ," Anya said melodramatically. "Considering the class is taught by a ghost, it should be more interesting that it is."

"Yeah. Well, I guess you can't fire a ghost, right?"

"Appears that way."

As they drank hot tea and butterbeer, they talked about lighter topics: classes, clothes, the latest gossip, etc. They spent a particularly long time speculating on what Amethyst was up to back at the castle. As eager as they were to find out, they were less eager to walk back in the frigid weather — and they wanted to ensure they weren't connected to whatever she did. Eventually, though, they finished their basket of chips and drinks and it was getting late. Knowing the walk would be so much colder in the dark, they resignedly gathered their purchases and put on their cloaks and other winter accessories.

Pointing her wand at their purchases, Anya cast the shrinking charm. As they each took their handful of miniature bags, the entrance bell chimed. Anya didn't think much of it. The bell had been going off all day as people filtered in to escape the cold. However, something caught Kat's attention. When she saw who had entered, she sighed dramatically.

"Ugh, it's your boyfriend."

"What?" Confused, Anya paused the tying of her scarf and followed Kat's gaze. Cedric and his friend, Lucas Worthington, were huddled by the door, seemingly searching the room for someone. Cedric's and Anya's eyes met, causing heat to rise on the back of her neck. Looking determined, Cedric and his friend started walking toward them.

"What do you think they want?"

"No idea." Anya sighed, finishing tying on her scarf. She pretended to ignore their approach but couldn't help but notice Cedric's windblown hair and cheeks tinged pink from the cold. Even if he didn't need to, he really should dress more appropriately for the weather. Eventually, someone would become suspicious of him seemingly being unaffected by the cold. Her observations had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he looked very attractive at the moment.

"Hello ladies," Worthington greeted enthusiastically. "We were wondering if we could escort you back to the castle?"

Kat openly assessed them, wearing a uninterested expression as she did. Then, with half-feigned haughtiness, said, "I can't see why we would. We did manage to make it down to Hogsmeade without any escorts."

Anya smirked while Worthington blushed. Clearly, he was used to getting a laugh and a 'yes' out of that line. Cedric, she noticed, was smiling. When he caught her looking at him, he raised an eyebrow, prompting her to do something. She probably should. Kat was only joking at the moment but could turn vicious if she wanted.

"Why not let them?" Anya suggested, using a playful tone. "If we run into trouble, like Worthington seems to think we will, we can sacrifice them and escape."

"Fine," she acquiesced, sighing. "Let's go."

Kat led the way out of the Three Broomsticks, her bright red ponytail bouncing with each step. As they stepped out of the pub, they were almost blown back inside by the strong wind, which seemed to have only grown stronger and colder in the time Anya and Kat had sat inside. Anya tilted her head down to avoid facing the wind straight on, keeping an eye on Kat and Worthington's cloak hems so she wasn't separated from the group. As they walked out of the village, Cedric fell in next to her.

"Can we talk?" he asked, glancing nervously at their friends' backs, which were about five feet ahead of them.

"Sure. You didn't need this whole "escort us back" ruse to talk though," she said pointedly.

He ducked his head, messing his hair in a sheepish matter. "I didn't think you'd leave Kat."

Anya realized he was probably right. She wouldn't have left Kat on her own, on an outing they'd decided would be a girls' day, to talk to Cedric about whatever her being at the bottom of the lake meant. In fact, she felt a little guilty for allowing the two boys to intrude in this manner. A quick glance up, however, revealed that Kat wasn't at all put out by the current situation. She actually seemed to be enjoying spending time with Worthington.

But she wouldn't admit Cedric was right, not directly at least. "So what do you want to talk about?"

He shot a glare at her that she missed due ducking her own head down as a sudden gust of wind hit them, threatening to push them backward once again. After regaining their footing, he blurted, "I'm not with Cho."

"Oh," Anya said lamely, feeling embarrassed as soon as she spoke.

He rushed to continue, taking advantage of her silence. "The other day, when I said I took care of her, I just meant that I told her to back off. We haven't been together for a year and you've never done anything to her. I also may have implied I'd make her life hell if she didn't."

Anya laughed, trying to imagine exactly how he would have done that. "Thanks, I guess."

"Damn it, Anya, you are not making this easy," Cedric snapped.

Again, he was right about her. She was sure she wanted this conversation to happen but was still afraid to have it. Knowing it wasn't fair to him, she took a few minutes as they silently hiked through the snow to collect what little courage she had.

Unable to look at him, both from the need to look forward and to not lose her nerve, she said, "I'm glad that you're not with Cho — and not just because I don't like her."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Brilliant," he muttered. "So, um, as you've probably figured out, I do like you as more than a friend. I'd like — I'd like to date you but if you don't feel the same, it's fine. I'll still be your friend; that'll never change."

He said the last bit in such a soft voice that Anya almost didn't hear it. But she was glad she did. Her pounding heart seemed to resume a normal rhythm, as if it knew there was no reason to be nervous anymore. It took a few seconds more for her brain to catch up, and she broke out into a smile when his words finally sunk in.

"Ok."

"Ok? Ok what?" Cedric questioned, sounding confused.

"Ok, I feel and want the same," she said quickly.

Relieved, Cedric broke out in a smile of his own. Looping an arm through hers, he repeated 'ok' once more and they continued to the castle in silence; both grinning idiotically.

* * *

 **AN: Please review and let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Anya, how can you focus with that thing on your neck?" Kat asked with not-so-fake disgust as she intruded on their secluded spot in the back of the library.

Cedric, who had been trying to tempt Anya to take a 'study break' for the last five minutes, dropped his head to Anya's shoulder, groaning as Anya closed her Charms book. Kat sat down across from them, not bothering to hide her dislike of Cedric or of finding them together.

Anya and Cedric had been going out for almost three weeks and Kat wasn't adjusting to it. Cedric's friends didn't seem to care who he dated so long as they weren't drawn into any relationship drama. Amethyst didn't care either, though she didn't spend a lot of time with the new couple either. She was still serving regular detentions for filling Pansy Parkinson's body lotion with bubotuber pus, an especially cruel yet hilarious prank as the undiluted pus caused Parkinson to break out in the same yellow boils that had covered Hermione's hands. So Kat was stuck spending time with Anya and Cedric, and sometimes Cedric's friends, without any backup of her own.

However, it wasn't as if Anya was parading her new relationship in front of her friend. She still made time to spend with just Kat and Amethyst. Anya had really hoped Kat would put aside her distrust of Cedric, like she said she would, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. The hostility between the two of them had only grown worse.

"You two have got to stop this," she snapped, glaring at Kat and nudging Cedric off her shoulder. "It's past ridiculous."

Kat, who hadn't even bothered to take out her books, scoffed and looked away. Realizing she'd get no where with Kat, she turned to Cedric. He caved under her stare, letting out a dramatic sigh of defeat.

"Truce?" he offered, wearing a hint of smirk. "I'll even throw in Lucas. He really likes you."

Kat pretend to mull over the offer, though neither Cedric nor Anya missed the pleased smile appear when she heard of Lucas's interest. After a full minute, Kat nodded. "All right, I'll agree to a truce — only because I care about Anya's happiness," she said firmly. Then, in all seriousness, added, "But if you make her unhappy, I'll end you."

Anya swore under her breath, tired of Kat's dramatics and over protectiveness. She was starting to wonder if it would be wrong to help Lucas win over Kat. Cedric, however, simply smirked, seeming to respect Kat's threat.

"Deal."

"Fantastic," Anya sighed. "Now is there something you wanted, Kat?"

"History of Magic notes. I lost mine."

"Meaning you never took them," Anya muttered accusingly. Though she picked up her bag and searched for them anyway. "They're not here. I must have left them back in the dormitory."

Kat sighed, looking incredibly put out by the inconvenience. Anya shrugged. Kat could learn to take her own notes instead of relying on her and Amethyst to save her all the time. But they were sixth years so it was unlikely she was going to change at this point. Kat's expression suddenly changed from annoyed to expectant as she looked at Anya, who gave in quickly in hopes of separating Kat and Cedric. She didn't want to test out their new truce so soon.

"They're probably still sitting on my bed. I must have left them there earlier."

"Thank you," Kat said in a singsong voice. She began walking away but stopped and turned back to them with a smug look. "Curfew is in an hour, Diggory. I expect you to have her back on time."

"Go away!" Anya hissed, raising her wand threateningly. Kat cackled as she walked away, enjoying irritating her friend. Anya sighed, slumping in her chair and gently tapping her forehead against her Charms book. Kat was going to drive her insane.

"Stop that," Cedric said, taking the book from Anya. He placed it on the table between them and turned to face her, his face unreadable. She rested her head on her arm and stared back, raising an eyebrow in question.

"What?"

It took him a minute to realize she had spoken, evidently districted by his own thoughts. He shook off the faraway look as he refocused on her. "You don't feel it?"

"Feel what?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion, wondering if he was playing some kind of trick on her.

"I have this feeling that… that something bad is going to happen. You don't feel that?"

"No," Anya said cautiously. "Are you sure you're not stressed about something?"

He shook his head. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair as he considered what to say. "It's not like that. It's not an internal feeling; it's external. It's like a subtle warning that I'm picking up on. You're not?"

It was her turn to shake her head. "It must be a you thing. Do you know what this warning is about?"

"No," he said, looking disappointed.

"It's probably just a storm," Anya teased, hoping to rid him of his sudden gloomy demeanor. "You know? Like how animals can pick up on big storms?"

Cedric's eyebrows shot up in amusement and offense. "So I'm animal now? Like a dog?"

"Well, if we asked Kat…"

"Shut up," he said, though he smiled as he said it. "Are you done studying?"

"I suppose. Why?"

He took her hand, smirking roguishly, and led her to a more secluded part of the library.

* * *

"Hold this," Anya said, passing her bag to Cedric as they walked down to the dungeon about a half hour later. She was trying to straighten up her clothes and hair after a rather vigorous makeout session; the latter was proving rather difficult to tame. Giving up, she pulled her up into a ponytail.

"You look fine," Cedric said, attempting to placate her but too amused to sound sincere. She ignored him, tugging her sweater straight once more. "Relax, Anya."

"Easy for you too say," she muttered, nervously twisting a loose strand of hair around her finger. "No one cares if you turn up looking all disheveled."

"No one will care if you do either. Well, maybe your friends," he amended. "But they won't exactly be shocked."

Anya stopped, her anxiety getting the better of her, and glared at him. He stopped and turned to face her, an eyebrow raised in question. "Can you please not be all logical right now? I know I'm being ridiculous. I'm not used to this."

By 'this' she meant the more physical aspects of dating. It had been a year between breaking up with Ezra and being with Cedric. She'd always felt vulnerable with Ezra, a feeling that had only increased as his insecurity and anger did. He had never hurt her physically but she had stopped letting him touch her in any manner early in their relationship. Honestly, that's when she should have broken up with him. She hadn't though, thinking it would make things worse and that she could help him. She'd been very stupid.

Anya wasn't worried about Cedric hurting her. She trusted him. But she still felt that vulnerability now that they were dating. And it was manifesting itself in weird ways. She was trying to push past it, ignore it even. Thankfully, Cedric understood and was patient with her.

"You're fine," he reassured firmly, looking her in the eye. "Take a minute."

She did, breathing deeply to steady herself. The feeling of inexplicable nervousness finally passed. Anya walked to Cedric, taking his outstretched hand. Sheepishly, she mumbled, "Sorry."

He squeezed her hand. "It's fine. You're doing better than you were a few weeks ago. It's like you said; you're getting used to it."

"It's embarrassing."

He shrugged. "So? I'm not going anywhere."

She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling a little better. They walked in silence until they reached the blank space of wall that was the entrance to the Slytherin common room. She tilted her head to kiss him goodnight and took a step back.

"You have to go before I can say the password," she said playfully. "You know the rules."

He shook his head, smiling again. "Good night, Anya."

"Night, Cedric."

When he was out of earshot, she gave the password and followed the narrow passageway to the common room, which was practically empty. She waved in acknowledgement to a few classmates but otherwise didn't interact with anyone. Her dormitory was dimly lit. Noticing a few of the girls already asleep, she quietly crossed the room and changed her clothes. Crawling into to bed, she pulled the green curtains closed to block out the light. She fell asleep almost immediately, drifting off to a hopefully undisturbed rest.

Sadly, her dreams had other plans. First, she dreamt of her mother. Anya couldn't quite make out where they where, it was completely dark yet she could see Lilith. She looked good, like she had before going to Azkaban, but was frantic. She was gesturing wildly and yelling but Anya couldn't hear her. It was as if a Silencing Charm had been cast on her. Anya tried to decipher the words her mother mouthed but the scene changed before she could. Suddenly, she was in the foyer of her aunt and uncle's house. They had the same frantic manner as Lilith and seemed to be trying to communicate the same message. Still, she couldn't understand what they were trying to tell her. Once again, she tried to work out what they were so urgently yelling. It seemed like they were —

"ATTENTION. ALL STUDENTS WILL REPORT TO THE GREAT HALL IMMEDIATELY."

Anya startled awake. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, though she couldn't be sure if it was from her dream or the announcement. Collecting herself, she pulled the curtains aside and was greeted by the sight of her confused roommates. The message continued on an infinite loop as they all stumbled out of bed, slipping on more presentable clothes or trying to tame bed head.

"What's going on?" Kat asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Anya shrugged; finally noticing the neck of her t-shirt was soaked with sweat. She slid out of bed to put on a dry one, grabbing her wand and bathrobe after she changed. Kat was slowly getting herself together but Amethyst had yet to move; she could, apparently, sleep through anything. Anya walked over and shook her awake, barely dodging a slap to the face.

"C'mon, get up," Anya snapped. "We're being summoned."

"I'm going to kill someone," Kat grumbled, standing next to Anya as they waited for Amethyst to get ready.

"Good luck. That is most definitely McGonagall's voice."

Kat moaned. "I can't take her."

"Can't take who?" Amethyst asked. She'd managed to find warmer clothes, though her shirt was inside out and her hair was standing up at odd angles. Neither Anya nor Kat felt like telling her. It's not like anyone looked good right now anyway.

"McGonagall. Now let's go before she transfigures us into something for dawdling," Anya said, yawning as she led the way.

"You think she would?" She heard Amethyst asked, sounding genuinely curious. Before she could respond, Kat snapped at her to stop being such a dimwit and shut up. Tired and sensitive, Amethyst didn't speak again as they walked with a mass of other half-awake Slytherins up to the Great Hall.

Unlike when Sirius Black had broken into the castle, there wasn't much panic. In fact, no one really seemed concerned about why they had been summoned to the Great Hall in the middle of the night. They were curious, of course, but no one was scarred — except for a few first years. Anya couldn't imagine what had happened, and she had a feeling she didn't want to know.

The murmured discussions grew louder as the Slytherins merged with the Hufflepuffs on the stairs up to the Great Hall. Though absorbed into the jumbled mass of students, Anya managed to stay close to her friends. She caught snippets of conversations as they walked and no one seemed to have any clue as to why they'd been called to the Hall in the middle of the night. They hit a bottleneck in the main entry as the entire castle and its guests tried to filter into the Hall at once. Anya and her friends kept to the edges, avoiding the more aggressive pushers in the center of the crowd. Kat nudged her side, nodding in the direction of the main door.

The main door into the castle was bolted closed several times over. She watched as Professor Flitwick cast multiple spells on the locks and door. She couldn't be sure, but Anya could only assume they were a combination of protection and defensive spells. A cold, tense knot appeared in her stomach as she realized that something bad had happened. The crowd pushed them through the doors before she could share her thoughts. Once inside the Hall, things didn't get better.

The enchanted ceiling was pitch black, not a star to be seen in it. Anya couldn't ever remember seeing the ceiling like this — not even when it showed stormy weather. Where the staff table normally was, a small group of professors stood in deep conversation. Dumbledore was nowhere in sight, but Anya did see McGonagall and Snape casting spells, probably similar to those Flitwick was casting on the door, on the opposite sides of the Hall. The house tables had been removed too, though the students still congregated where they normally dined. Following the status quo, Anya and her friends walked over to where the Slytherin table normally sat and stood with their house.

"What is going on?" Amethyst asked, nervously looking around the room at their pajama-clad classmates. "They didn't freak out this much when Sirius Black broke in — and he was a murderer!"

Anya shrugged, folding her arms across her stomach as if that could stop the feeling of dread in her. The only thing she could imagine causing this much panic was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named returning. But that couldn't have happened. Even as she tried to deny the possibility, her mother's warning came back to her, sending chills through her. She glanced over at Malfoy and his friends, thinking they would show signs of excitement if he had. Instead, she only saw more confused and tired students. They didn't have an idea of what was going on any more than any other student in the Hall did.

"I don't know but they better tell us soon," Kat said, hiding her fear under a tone of impatience.

"They will. They're just waiting until everyone's here…"

Anya trailed off, seeing Cedric enter the Hall with a group of terrified Hufflepuff first-year girls. Despite the situation, Anya laughed a little at the sight. Dealing with panicked first years would drive Cedric mad on a good day, she couldn't imagine the self-control he needed to deal with them at two in the morning. If the girls didn't calm down, they'd soon be more scared of him than whatever they were now. He seemed to relax a little upon spotting her. She gave a small gave, hoping to indicate she was all right. He'd want to check on her and, honestly, Anya wished he could be with her instead of attending to his prefect duties. But they could wait to see each other; they weren't in any immediate danger.

The influx of students and staff into the deafening Hall finally started slow with Dumbledore being the last to enter. Students stepped aside, creating an aisle to let him pass, and the many discussions taking place slowly stopped. By the time Dumbledore reached the raised platform, the Great Hall was completely silent.

"I'm sorry to have called you all from your beds but I have troubling news." He paused, allowing the seriousness of what he had to say settle over them. Anya's stomach tensed more as she waited for him to continue. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Amethyst bouncing slightly while Kat chewed on her thumbnail. "I received word from the Ministry that, earlier this evening, there was a mass breakout at Azkaban, including several high security prisoners —"

The rest of his words were cut off as the Hall erupted in gasps and panicked reactions. Sirius Black breaking out of Azkaban three years ago had been shocking enough — but he was one person. Though unlikely, it wasn't impossible that one person could escape. But there had never been a mass breakout, and no one from a high security cell had ever left the prison alive. As this dawned on students, it was only expected they would be terrified. Several of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's most violent and unpredictable followers were free.

Projecting his voice over the noise, Dumbledore called for silence. Satisfied he had regained their attention, he continued in a solemn but stern tone. "As I said, there's been a mass breakout from Azkaban and while we don't yet know how many or which prisoners escaped, the Ministry has confirmed several of the more dangerous prisoners are among the escapees. We do not know where these people will go or what they will do. For your safety, you spend the remainder of the evening here. No student will have permission to leave this Hall until I receive further information."

His expression softened as he looked out over their alarmed faces. "I know it may be difficult but I encourage you to sleep. You are all completely safe within this Hall, and will face the aftermath of this event better after a good night's rest. However, your professors, prefects, and Head Boy and Head Girl will be patrolling the Hall should you need anything."

With that, he waved his wand, summoning hundreds of purple sleeping bags from thin air. Numbly, Anya and her friends picked theirs up from the floor and went to stake out a place for themselves in the Hall. They set up their sleeping bags in silence, only daring to speak once they had all settled in.

"Do you think your mum escaped?" Kat asked, keeping her voice low. She looked concern, though Anya wasn't sure if it was about the breakout as a whole, Lilith's possible escape, or Anya's reaction.

"I don't know. She wasn't a high security prisoner," Anya said, thinking about the possibility of her mother's escape as she spoke. Oddly, her mind hadn't thought of that when Dumbledore first announced the breakout. No, instead she immediately thought that Lilith had been right about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"What are you thinking?" Amethyst asked, following her friends' lead and talking in a quiet voice.

"It's something my mum said after the trial. I thought she was crazy, but maybe she wasn't."

"Well, she was a little crazy," Kat quipped, causing Amethyst to thump the top of Kat's head with her wand.

"Shut up. What did she tell you?"

"She said… she said You-Know-Who was coming back." Anya avoided their eyes, feeling crazy for even suggesting it. Their silence was starting to feel judgmental when Amethyst finally spoke.

"Maybe she's right. Who else would, or could, break out so many from Azkaban?"

Kat looked like she was about to argue but stopped herself on further reflection. Conceding, she said, "Amethyst has a point."

"I hope she's, my mum's, wrong," Anya muttered, her friends nodding in agreement.

They fell silent, listening to the panicked speculations of those around them. Occasionally, they rolled their eyes or laughed at a particularly far-fetched theory but otherwise didn't talk much. The Hall slowly grew quiet as students fell asleep or were shushed by patrolling professors. Cedric walked by once at around three in the morning, stopping briefly to check on Anya. After assuring him she was fine, Anya told him they could talk later. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore.

Anya was asleep before he'd even walked away.

She wasn't sure how long she slept but it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Long before she was ready, Anya found herself shaken awake. Disoriented, it took her a moment to remember why she was sleeping on the floor of the Great Hall. As she adjusted to the dim light of the early morning, she looked up to see Professor McGonagall and Harry standing over her. She knew something was wrong without having to ask, it was written on their faces. Harry eyed her nervously while McGonagall wore an unusual expression. In place of her usual sternness there was a subtle softness around her eyes and mouth, conveying a feeling of concern. Anya felt her stomach drop.

"I need you to come with me to Professor Dumbledore's office," McGonagall explained, her voice low but steady.

Anya hesitated, and then stood numbly, wrapping her bathrobe around her and checking the pocket for her wand. Satisfied it was there, she followed them out of the Hall without disturbing any of the sleeping students around her. McGonagall cast a curious look at Anya as they walked, surely wondering why she hadn't asked the reason for being called to the headmaster's office. Anya didn't need to ask. Something must have happened to her mother during the breakout. She couldn't fathom another reason for being awakened just after dawn.

Harry shot frequent looks in her direction as they walked but she wouldn't meet his gaze. Once again, Anya was doing her best to stay calm, or appear calm. Harry's anxious manner was too much for her deal with right now. In fact, she wasn't sure why he was there. Anya mused on his presence as they climbed the spiral staircase to the headmaster's office, realizing it could be James and not Lilith who had been harmed in the breakout. She felt guilty for not thinking of that possibility sooner.

That theory, however, was quickly proven wrong. James was waiting for them in Dumbledore's office. He turned in their direction, assessing their appearances. His appraisal didn't put him at ease. If anything, his features tensed even more.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said from his desk. His somber tone from earlier was still present, though he was the only in the room who didn't look exhausted. Anya reckoned James must have been up all night dealing with the breakout. McGonagall took her leave, casting a pitying look over Harry and Anya.

"Please sit," Dumbledore said to them, motioning to the two empty chairs next to James.

"What's happened? Did something happen to my mum?" Anya asked, ignoring his invitation. Her anxiety was hitting a new high as she waited for someone to tell her why she was here. She was so focused on her need for information she didn't notice James flinch when she said "my mum."

"Ms. Thorn, please —"

"No, let me," James interrupted. He walked over to Anya and guided her to the chair. Up close, Anya could see the heavy bags under his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair, giving it the messy look Harry had naturally: A nervous tick. He was stalling.

"She's dead, isn't she?"

The words were out of her mouth before they'd reached her mind. James nodded, a grim look appearing on his face. Anya immediately felt cold.

"Yes, but that's not all."

Anya was glad he'd made her sit. She was dizzy and there was an unexplainable pain in her chest. She'd been expecting it but couldn't believe it; her mother couldn't be dead. Voice shaking, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Sighing, he dropped his gaze from hers. She couldn't imagine what else he had to say. Wasn't losing her mother, truly forever this time, enough?

"Anya," he said, gently taking one of her hands in his. "I don't know why but, after the breakout, it seems some of the escaped prisoner went to your aunt and uncle's home. Anya, I'm sorry. They were killed."

* * *

 **AN: Posting early as I'll be out of the house tonight. Also, this story will be on a little hiatus through the month of November. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo and will be focusing on another project. I will resume regular updates in December.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Anya woke up in the Hospital Wing several hours later. It had been too much, learning her family was dead. She'd lost complete control and someone had sedated her. Through the haze of the sedative, Anya's memories of Dumbledore's office returned to her.

She remembered screaming, crying, and hitting James as he tried to calm her, or restrain her. Anya had felt as if she was falling apart. Her entire family, at least the only one she'd known, couldn't be gone. Not so soon after her grandmother, not in one night. But, of course, she had made everything worse. She hadn't only lost control of her emotions but also her powers. With a jolt of panic, she remembered items exploding and the flames of candles growing to unnatural heights. It was beyond anything a normal witch or wizard could do in an emotional fit. James would have questions; she hadn't been exactly honest about her abilities with him.

She forced her eyes opening, fighting the urge to stay asleep, and was immediately blinded by sunlight. Squinting, she pushed herself so she could lean against the frame of the bed. She could make out a figure sitting next to her bed but couldn't quite see how it was. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Anya was surprised to find Harry sitting next to her.

"How are you feeling?"

Still groggy, Anya couldn't quite make out his tone but wouldn't say he sounded too concerned. He was probably suspicious of her after her outburst — not that she could blame him. And, if she was honest, she was a little suspicious of his presence. "Not great, honestly. What are you doing here?"

"Dad asked me to sit with you until you woke up. He had to go back to work," Harry clarified in response to her confused expression. "He told me more of what happened so I could tell you, but I also think he was worried."

Anya dropped her defenses at his words, realizing he was trying to be a good son — and maybe a good brother.

"Thanks," she muttered, feeling uncomfortable. "So, um, what did he want me to know?"

Harry hesitated. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked, studying her carefully. "Madam Pomfrey won't appreciate you setting the Hospital Wing on fire."

He'd been trying for levity, as hinted at by his weak smile, but hadn't pulled it off. Anya looked down, blushing in embarrassment. "I won't. I won't lose control again."

He still looked unsure. Anya knew he had no reason to trust her, but she had a right to know what had happened to her family. Plus, she'd rather find out this way than from the _Prophet_ or her classmates.

"Harry, please."

He nodded, determination settling in his features. "Well, Lilith — your mother — was killed in Azkaban but she wasn't involved in the breakout," he started, unable to look at her directly as he spoke. "They found the word 'traitor' burnt into the door of her cell…."

He trailed off, letting Anya process his words. She couldn't really, not now anyway. There was still more to hear. Forcing her tears back, she motioned for him to continue.

"They're still investigating but Dad's theory is the escaped prisoners went there to find something. He doesn't know if they did, but they killed your aunt and uncle and set fire to the house." Harry sounded almost apologetic. James probably should have asked a professor to tell her all of this or come back later. It was a lot to ask of Harry.

"They weren't alone," she said, her voice breaking. "What about Tully, our house elf? Or their dog Jasper?"

"He didn't tell me," Harry said. Upon seeing how upset this made her, he quickly added, "But I'll write Dad right away and ask him."

"Thank you," Anya whispered, wiping away a tear. She was embarrassed, as anyone is when they cry in front of someone. Harry looked away, trying to mitigate some of the awkwardness.

"So… what happened in Dumbledore's office?"

"I, er, lost control," Anya said, her tone turning defensive. "That happens sometimes with witches and wizards."

He didn't buy it. His expression growing more skeptical of as she spoke. Bluntly, he asked, "Are you sure it had nothing to do with the experiments Lilith did on you?"

Anya sat there, stunned for a moment. She had admitted as much to James, but she thought he had kept it to himself. Giving up the façade, she demanded, "How did you find out?"

A look of triumphant passed across Harry's face, but was quickly replaced with a more neutral expression. "I didn't, but Dumbledore and Dad were hinting as much after you 'lost control,' as you put it."

"Great," she snapped. "Now you and Dumbledore know."

"It's not like either of us are going to run to the _Prophet_ to tell the world."

He was trying to make her feel better, and he knew a little more about what it was like to be a victim of He-Who-Must-Be-Named's war. Anya still felt like a freak on display, though. She knew it didn't really matter if he knew. Dumbledore knowing was a bit more concerning. Would he let her stay in school? Worse, would he suspect she had had help handling her new powers? Anya did not want Cedric to be exposed because of her carelessness. He didn't deserve that.

"I know you're not running to the _Prophet_ but I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone at all, including your friends. I'm still working out what was done to me exactly and I would like to continue to do so without whispers or whatever. You know how things can get around here."

He nodded, "I promise. Dad also swore me to secrecy about what happens, if that helps you feel any better."

Anya shrugged. It didn't make her feel worse, so she supposed that was good. She slumped back against the metal headboard, wondering where Madam Pomfrey was. Anya had not spent much time in the Hospital Wing. Unlike Harry, she and her friends didn't go on as many wild and ill-advised adventures. Cedric had been in a few times for Quidditch injuries, nothing too serious, but Anya didn't play. She hoped she wouldn't have to be here long. She felt fine even though the outburst had depleted her energy. She would need to feed soon, and she couldn't do that until Madam Pomfrey cleared her.

Harry kept her company while they waited. It was a stilted conversation at first. Harry stuck to safe topics like school but couldn't fight his curiosity long. He wanted to know more about her powers and if she remembered any of the experiments. Figuring it was silly to lie or keep any more secrets, she answered his questions as fully as she could. However, she did omit Cedric's role in her training and knowledge gathering efforts. She asked a little about Lily; mainly questions Anya had after from reading her journal. Harry did his best to answer, but a lot was speculation from what he had heard about her over the years.

They talked for a half an hour before Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. Anya was announced healthy and free to go after five minutes of being thoroughly checked over. However, she gave Anya a stern warning to relax and get a hearty dinner. Given that dinner was still several hours away, Anya would have to find a snack to hold her over in the meantime. If she was lucky, she would run into Amethyst back in her dormitory. She always had a secret stash of food in her trunk or night table.

Harry walked back with her. He seemed to want to make sure she was actually all right and not in danger of passing out. Anya knew she was fine. Her passing out had more to do with being emotionally overwhelmed and losing control of her powers.

"I'm fine if there's something you need to go do," she said, as they walked down the stairwell to the main floor. She figured they should separate before they reached the dungeons. Anya wasn't in the mood for any confrontations between Harry and her housemates.

"I was thinking that we'd get you food, actually."

"How? It's still three hours until dinner?"

"You'll see," Harry said with a smug smile.

She followed him down to the dungeon level, where they veered right instead of left toward the direction of the Hufflepuff common room. He stopped in front of a large painting of a bowl of fruit, reached out and tickled the pear. Anya watched with some amazement as the pear formed into a handle. Silently, she followed him through the passageway and into the very busy Hogwarts kitchen. Anya almost stepped backward into the passageway as four house elves ran past her, carrying a heavy tray of raw chicken. As the house elves realized they had visitors, they were cheerfully greeted and offered limitless amounts of food.

"How did you know about this?" Anya asked, taking a lemon pastry from a nearby tray.

"Fred and George told me. I couldn't tell you how they found out though," Harry explained, helping himself to a fruit tart. "If you're not careful, you'll leave here with five pounds of food."

Anya could easily see how that could happen. She had barely finished her pastry when another house elf was in front of her, offering her a sandwich. She took it, fully realizing how hungry she was, and said a quiet thanks to the house elf. With a pang, she was reminded of Tully. If the house elf hadn't made it, she hoped Tully hadn't suffered.

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts away, and turned her attention to Harry. Despite being in the same year and him being Harry Potter, Anya had never spent much time thinking about him, even after finding out they were siblings. They were in different houses, had different friend groups, and different interests. Plus, she was an ordinary student and he was the Boy Who Lived. They'd never even been partnered together in class. But even if their paths had crossed, Anya didn't think she would have noticed their similarities. They shared the same dark hair and green eyes, though her hair was mercifully tamable and she didn't need glasses. Anya thought their facial structure was similar, too. She wondered if anyone else had or would have noticed their similarities sooner if they had been in the same house or ever stood next to each other.

"Hey, are you all right?" Harry asked, noticing her distracted demeanor.

She cleared her throat. "Yeah, just thinking. Thanks," she said, waving the sandwich in front of her. "I was hungrier than I thought."

"Sure." Harry didn't look like he quite believed here but wasn't going to push her.

"Anyway, I should probably get going. Let my friends know that I'm alive."

"Do you need me to walk with you?"

"No, I think I can manage to make it down the corridor."

"Ok. Well, er, if you ever want to talk about anything…," he offered, trailing off awkwardly.

Anya smiled, his concern endearing. "Thanks, maybe you can tell me a little more about our parents sometime."

"Yeah, sure."

She waved good-bye, thanking the house elves for the food as she left. Once she was in the corridor alone, she felt a resurgence of grief. Talking with Harry had been a good distraction, but she couldn't avoid what had happened forever. Anya turned left and walked past the staircase toward the Slytherin common room, not sure if she wanted to find her friends or empty dormitory.

* * *

Getting to her dormitory turned out to be more of a challenge than anticipated. The common room was packed full of, seemingly, every Slytherin. The sound was deafening. Groups of four or five students were huddled together, pouring over a newspaper and discussing its contents. Some of her housemates sounded concerned as she maneuvered her way through the crowd. Other conversations had a more ambivalent tone. The most chilling, those from Malfoy's lot, sounded excited.

Anya made her way to the stairs relatively unnoticed; most people were too preoccupied with their discussions to pay attention to her. The dormitory was unexpectedly empty. Anya briefly wondered where her friends might be but wasn't worried. It wasn't as if anyone was in danger inside of Hogwarts. When she reached her bed, she was surprised to find the late edition of the _Prophet_ open to the story of the breakout. As she inspected it closer, her attention was drawn to a breakout box. The top half was a list were names of the escapees and their crimes. The bottom half was a list of deaths or disappearances reported since the breakout. Anya was surprised to see about ten names on the list, including Lionel and Gabriella Croft, Amethyst's uncle and aunt.

Anya was surprised. She hadn't been aware of the Crofts having any kind of connection to the Death Eaters or hearing them speak out against them. In fact, she couldn't think of any reason they would go after the Croft family. She needed to find Amethyst and Kat.

Folding the newspapers into quarters, Anya tried to figure out where they might be. Both of her friends abhorred the library and it was too cold for Kat to agree to spend any serious length of time outside or in the owlery. It was possible they were in an empty classroom, though which one and on which level she couldn't even begin to guess. Deciding standing in the empty dormitory was pointless, she walked toward the door but paused as she passed Amethyst's bed.

Amethyst was a bit of a slob and always had a pile of artwork, notes, clothes, and books scattered on her night table or bed and her trunk was rarely closed all the way due to something sticking out of it. But now the night table and bed were completely bare, and the trunk was missing. With a sinking feeling, she resumed walking toward the door where she practically collided with Kat.

"Where have you been?" Kat demanded, pushing her way inside the dormitory.

"The Hospital Wing. Madam Promfrey just let me out," Anya said, omitting her excursion to the kitchen. Kat was looking both hostile and close to tears; Anya's time with Harry would not go over well at the moment. "I saw the article with the names. What happened? Where's Amethyst?"

Kat shook her head, unable to speak as tears slowly fell down her face. Anya's heartbeat quickened with dread.

"Kat, what happened to Amethyst? Was she hurt?" she demanded unable to keep her panic in check.

"N-no," Kat finally sobbed. "Her parents pulled her out."

Anya was stunned. "Why? She's not in danger here. Hogwarts is safe."

Kat took a few deep breaths, calming down enough to speak but with tears still flowing freely. "Her parents think they're all in danger. They're pretty sure her aunt and uncle were targeted for their pro-muggle sentiments. The Croft family has always been considered blood traitors, but I guess they've been more vocal recently. They're going into hiding."

Anya sat on Amethyst's now abandoned bed, taking in the news. Part of her couldn't believe Amethyst's parents had panicked so quickly. The breakout was still fresh; everything would be under control in a few days, surely. The other part of her, however, remembered how the Ministry had never found Sirius Black. And this time it wasn't one person breaking out of the most guarded wizarding prison, it was at least a dozen escapees who had killed several people in their first night of freedom.

"Has she already gone then?" Anya asked, her voice just above a whisper.

Sniffling, Kat came to sit beside her. "Yes," she said, her voice breaking. "She wanted to say good-bye, but her parents insisted they leave as soon as possible. They couldn't wait."

Anya nodded. She was hurt, especially since she had no idea when she would see her friend again, but she understood. She wondered how many other students would be pulled out of school. Several of the names on the missing or killed list shared surnames with Hogwarts students. Kat hadn't had family on the list, but would her overcautious father pull her out next? Anya didn't think she could be at Hogwarts with both of them gone.

After a few minutes of them sitting in a sad silence, Kat asked, "How are you by the way?"

"Fine, I guess," Anya said, shrugging. "I didn't react well when Dumbledore and James told me about my aunt and uncle."

"I'm sorry about them. It isn't fair."

Anya shrugged again. "None of this is fair. At least I didn't have to read about it in the newspaper."

"What are you going to do?"

"I have no idea," Anya sighed. "James has full guardianship now. I won't let him take me out of school though. I still believe I'm safer here for the time being. I doubt anyone comes after me specifically anyway."

Kat hesitated. "Your story has been in the paper a lot and they killed your mother in the escape. They might come for you."

Anya knew she was right but didn't want to acknowledge it. She couldn't; there were too many other feelings to process and fear couldn't be one of them right now. She would figure it out later.

"Maybe, but I'll be all right," she said with a bitter tone.

"Why do you say that?"

"They've taken away my family. I'm not going to hide or cower if they come for me. If they make that mistake, I'll destroy them."

* * *

 **AN: So sorry about the long wait between updates! I honestly meant to write more in December but failed miserably. Also this chapter was hard to write but needed to be included. I've started school (again) and a new job so my free time is limited, but I'm NOT abandoning this story. It will be updated but probably not "regularly." I appreciate everyone's patience and feedback. Thank you and leave a review if you liked it/have questions. I usually respond pretty quickly.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Amethyst wasn't the last student to be taken home. Over the next few days, students slowly disappeared from classes. It was mostly students from the other three houses who left, though there were a few more from Slytherin. In one instance, a parent actually showed up in an attempt to force their fifth-year student to return home with them. The Hufflepuff and her father ended up having a full-out screaming match in the corridor outside of the Transfiguration, with her arguing she couldn't possibly leave Hogwarts before taking her O.W.L.'s. An extremely annoyed McGonagall dismissed her class early and took student and parent to continue the discussion in private. Later at dinner, Anya noticed the Hufflepuff girl sitting with her friends, looking quite smug.

It wasn't only Hogwarts students who were being summoned home. A few days after the breakout, the majority of the remaining Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students were gone. Besides the champions, there were now fewer than ten students left from the two schools. The drop in student population levelled off after the first week. And though Hogwarts only lost about fifty students, the absences were noticeable to everyone.

Anya was surprised James hadn't returned to take her and Harry. When she mentioned this to Harry during potions one day, he was stunned by the suggestion. Clearly, he hadn't been worried about being taken home.

"Hogwarts is one of the safest places," he'd said matter-of-factly. "He wouldn't take us out of here unless there was a direct attack. And even then, only if he had a better option."

"That's a relief then," she'd said before Snape swooped over and berated the quality of their potion. And it was. Anya had been worrying for a week that James would show up at any moment and take her from Hogwarts. She had only received a short letter since the day of the breakout and all he had just asked about how she was doing and promised to work out the legal situation with her inheritance, which now included two houses and a dog, and a memorial for her aunt, uncle, and mother. Anya was thankful he was trying to help, though she knew a memorial service would never happen. There was too much going on and not even she could be bothered to be upset about it. It was just too much at once. She asked him to execute their wills as directed and not worry about a service. Anya was better off mourning in private than trying to host a public event for her murdered family.

Kat was having a hard time coping. Not only had Amethyst left, but she had lost a few new friends from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, too. With everything Anya had been going through this year, she hadn't realized how little time she had actually spent with Kat or Amethyst since Christmas. Most of her free time was spent with Cedric these days. With Amethyst and the others gone, Kat's abandonment issues were resurfacing. It didn't help that Amethyst had not responded to any of the letters either of them had sent her. They had all returned, travelworn and unopened. Anya was doing her best to be there for Kat, which was a good distraction from her own grief, but was rather useless when it came to taking care of someone else. Amethyst was the emotional support system for the group and Anya was at a loss for what to do.

Things with Cedric weren't much better at the moment. He'd been irritable since the breakout and was less than thrilled Harry and Dumbledore knew of her abilities. Anya had spent three days reassuring him she hadn't revealed anything about him. Besides, if Dumbledore thought she was a threat, he wouldn't have let her stay. But nothing she said helped relax him. She'd stormed after he snapped at her, calling her gullible for believing Dumbledore didn't suspect anything. Anya hadn't spoken to him in two days.

Given the reason for the argument, Anya hadn't even told Kat what had happened. She kept brushing off Kat's questions regarding Cedric with vague responses like "I need time" or "You need me more right now". Anya didn't want to burden Kat with her boyfriend drama; it wasn't something that really needed to be dealt with anyway. It would work itself out when both she and Cedric stopped being so mad at each other.

"Why don't we go for a walk around the grounds?" Anya suggested. "I think Hagrid is still taking care of the unicorn foal with the hurt leg. We could by and visit."

Kat, who was sitting across from her the library and actually studying for once, gave an obvious eye roll before responding. "Really, you're trying to entice me with a unicorn? What am I? A five-year-old?"

"First, unicorns are cool no matter how old you are," Anya said, playfully defensive. "Second, well, I'm out of ideas. I don't know how to help you or distract you or what. You're just so miserable and I want to help."

Kat sighed, setting her quill down on her paper. She looked tired with her usual styled red locks up in a messy bun and immaculate makeup missing. "I know; I've just felt so out of it lately. Everything happened so fast and, I don't know, so many people were ripped from my life at one time. But they're not dead. Or at least they weren't when they left. That's the thing: I have no idea where or how they are. They're just gone."

"Trust me, I get it," Anya said grimly. "But they're not dead. You've heard from everyone but Amethyst and know they're safe. I'm worried about Amethyst too but, if she and her family really are in danger, then we have to deal with not hearing from her."

"Ugh, I hate it when you're the rational and mature one."

"Well, next time it's your turn."

"That'll be a disaster."

"Definitely."

The burst into a fit of giggles, earning a stern reprimand from Madam Pince and being thrown out of the library when they were unable to quiet down. Neither cared about the lost house points; they felt relieved once they finally regained control. Things weren't fixed but the anxiety and worry had faded for the moment.

"Let's dump our stuff back in the dormitory. I've thought of something to do that's way more than visiting a unicorn."

* * *

It turned out Anya and Cedric were too stubborn to be the one to apologize first, causing a minor disagreement to lead to a two-week silent treatment from both to the other. For her part, Anya knew it was a stupid fight and she should get over it. But every time she talked herself into finding him to sort it all out, she remembered him snapping at her and calling her "naïve" and "reckless."

It didn't help that Cedric didn't appear all that interested in fixing things, either. At least Kat was doing a little better these days, except she now her attention was focused on the situation with Cedric.

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll just go to him," Kat threatened one day when they were studying in the common room.

"Leave it, Kat. It's nothing; we just need some space."

"Whatever. I told you he was weird."

Anya ignored her, focusing on the potions assignment instead. Kat didn't give up though and kept questioning Anya. Finally, Anya packed up her things, saying she needed a book from the library to finish her paper. Kat didn't buy it but let her go anyway, probably reassessing her interrogation technique and planning a fresh attack for later.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying attention as she rounded the corner and bumped into someone. Books and scrolls of parchment fell to the ground. Bending down to retrieve her things, Anya started to apologize without looking to see who she'd run into.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"It's all — Oh, it's you."

Pausing, Anya glanced up to see an irritated Cho Chang collecting her own things. Anya ignored the haughty tone and picked up her last book. "Again, I'm sorry."

Anya made to walk around Cho, who was still crouching on the floor, when the other girl stood up and blocked her path. Surprised, Anya took a few steps back.

"Did you need something?" Anya asked, affecting an indifferent tone. She really didn't have the energy to deal with whatever drama Cho wanted to start. It never ended well.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said with a fake sweetness, "I've just noticed you and Cedric haven't spent much time together lately. I was wondering if everything was all right?"

"Even if it wasn't, it's not something I would discuss with you. If you don't mind," Anya said, forcing a fake smile of her own, "I really need to get to the library before it closes."

Cho was disappointed. Clearly, she was expecting to get more of a raise out of Anya, who walked around Cho feeling smug about stumping the other girl. However, Cho recovered quickly.

"He did the same to me, you know," Cho taunted. "Disappearing all the time; distancing himself. And do you know who he was with?"

Anya whipped around; her façade of pleasantness gone. She was tired of these accusations. "I didn't take him from you," she snapped. "You drove him away with all your drama and cheating!"

Now it was Cho's turn to look smug, having gotten her desired reaction from Anya. Temper rising, Anya was quickly losing control of her words and her powers. She could feel her magic growing more intense, looking for an outlet. She needed to calm down, be in control.

But she couldn't.

"Maybe I should just tell Harry what kind of person you really are," Anya threatened. "Unless he's figured it out already."

Cho's smug demeanor fell into immediate anger. Her face contorting in such a way no one would believe she was capable of — not even Anya if she hadn't seen it.

"You manipulative bitch!" Cho snapped. "Everyone thinks you're so perfect but you're really just a —"

Anya didn't find out what she really was as Cho was suddenly flying across the corridor. She hit the opposite wall and slid to the floor, looking dazed. Anya was beyond caring about being in control or exposing her secret, such was her rage. She walked toward Cho, power surging through her. As she reached the other girl, she knelt down beside her with an outstretched hand. Cho watched with fear and then confusion as Anya placed her hand on Cho's exposed forearm.

"What are you doing?" Cho asked, her voice quiet and shaking.

Anya ignored her, already feeling Cho's life force flowing into her. The experience was different than drawing energy from nature; it was better. She felt stronger, more powerful in than she ever had. Anya was so caught up in the sensation she didn't notice how it was affecting Cho until the thud of her head hitting the ground broke the spell.

Anya slowly came down from her high; panic settling over her as she realized what she had done. Thinking fast, she checked Cho's pulse and breathing. Both were present, though the other's breathing seemed shallow. The corridor was still clear, but she couldn't count on that for long. Someone was bound to come out of the library soon. As she surveyed the corridor, she spotted a broom cupboard a few feet away. Springing into action, she gathered Cho's belongings and cast a spell to levitate Cho's bodies, without a wand. Cedric hadn't been lying about the benefits of feeding off of humans. After ensuring Cho was secure in the broom cupboard, she went back to retrieve her own belongings.

She needed to find Cedric, now. Unfortunately, she had no idea where he would be and her heightened powers were of no help.

She settled on trying the Hufflepuff common room. She didn't have clue what she would do once she got there. Perhaps, if she were lucky, she'd run into another Hufflepuff on her way and get them to send him a message. But with the way the night was going so far, she doubted she'd be that lucky. It was almost curfew; she needed to move fast.

Taking the steps two at a time, she rushed down the main staircase. The magical boost from Cho's life force made the endeavor easy; she was almost graceful as ran. If she wasn't worried about making sure Cho didn't expose her — and that she was all right — it would have been fun. She was almost to the main entry when she the doors opening. Caution prevailing, she stopped abruptly, causing her to stumble down the last couple of stairs. So much for being graceful. Thankfully, the person entering the castle turned out to be Cedric.

"Cedric!"

Startled, he turned in the direction of her voice, surprise growing as he watched her right herself. "Are we speaking now?" he asked, trying to look nonchalant but sounded petulant nonetheless.

"No, yes, just listen," she started, irritated and flustered. "I messed up. I ran into Cho, lost control, and now she's passed out in a broom cupboard near the library."

His blank stare was far from reassuring. Surely, he wouldn't leave her to sort all this out by herself. Finally, in complete disbelief, he spoke. "You did what! How?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. He crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. Groaning, she said, "Fine. She pissed me off, went flying backwards, and I accidentally fed from her. Will you help me."

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "for fuck's sake" and walked past her up the stairs. She turned around to follow him, with noticeably less speed than on her way down.

"I can't believe you did this, especially now that Dumbledore knows what you are. Are you trying to get found out?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," she started to say but stopped when she realized he wasn't listening.

"I can't believe after three weeks of not speaking to me that you're coming to me with this. It just proves my point, by the way. I don't really understand how you did it. I doubt you've fed in all this time; you shouldn't have been able to throw her across the hall."

"Maybe I'm not as week and pathetic as you think," she said, her tone biting. "If you're going to be such a prick about it, just go back to hiding out in your common room.! I'll figure it out myself."

He spun around; anger etched into his features. "What do you mean 'hiding out'? I haven't been hiding."

Anya rolled her eyes, pushing past him with a huff. "You've been avoiding me, too. To the point Cho felt the need to comment on it."

"Bloody hell, Anya, this is ridiculous." He stormed after her, both fuming at the other as she led them toward the broom cupboard. "

"She's in there," Anya said, stopping outside the door. Cedric glared but opened the door without comment. Anya watched as he checked Cho's vitals and began transferring energy from himself to her, much like he had done months ago for Anya. She ignored the pang of jealousy, focusing on keeping an eye for anyone coming down the corridor. Her luck was holding as no one came into the corridor while Cedric helped Cho.

Cho finally came to after a couple of minutes. She was groggy and not all there but still managed to flirt with Cedric once she realized he was there. She wasn't even curious as to why she was in a broom cupboard. Anya should be grateful for the girl's stupidity, but it only served to annoy her further. Anya watched as Cedric used his power of suggestion to have her forget the whole ordeal and return to the Ravenclaw dormitory. Cho complied with such ease that Anya couldn't help but wonder how often Cedric had done this to her in the past. For the first time that night, she felt a little bad for Cho.

After watching Cho turn the corner, Cedric turned back to Anya. He was clearly still pissed, if the tension in his shoulders was anything to go by, but was making an effort to keep his face neutral.

"Can we talk? Please?"

"Why?" Anya asked, avoiding his gaze by pretending to see if her books would fit in her bag. "Do you have more character flaws you'd like to discuss?"

"Not at the moment," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Unamused, Anya met his gaze. "Sorry," he muttered. "And I'm sorry for avoiding you. I wasn't really, not completely. I was trying to figure something out and it just kind of took over."

Anya felt her stomach sink, wondering if he had been figuring out if their relationship was worth it. Afraid of the answer, she asked, "What were you figuring out?"

"Well, the tournament for one," he replied cheekily. "I don't know if you remember, but the final task is coming up."

"I hadn't. Harry's been pointedly not discussing it."

"There wasn't much to discuss before tonight. The final task is going to be some kind of magical maze. They're destroying the quidditch pitch with hedges."

The sincere pain in his voice over the stupid pitch was enough to draw out a small smile from Anya. However, it disappeared quickly as she remembered he hadn't answered the question. "What else?" she prompted "What else were you figuring out?"

Embarrassed, it was his turn to avoid her gaze. "I was trying to figure out how to be close by next year, in case you need me."

A beat passed with Anya trying to figure out an appropriate response to that.

"No offense, but why would I need you to be close by next year?"

"I don't know, Anya," he said defensively. "In case you need help with your powers or cleaning up an accident like tonight?"

"Whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Like you said, it was an accident. The only real one since learning of my powers, by the way," she added pointedly. "Besides, you can't just lurk around the castle all year. It's a waste of your time."

"Keeping you safe is a waste of your time?"

"No, treating me like a child is a waste of your time," she countered. "You should be figuring out your career or traveling or something."

Cedric shook his head in amused disbelief. "I don't think there's going to be a point to doing any of that soon — not with all the death eater breakouts. Something is happening."

"Fair enough," she ceded. She kneeled down, gathering the bag and books she'd stashed in the cupboard with Cho. "It's late, we should get back to our dorms."

He offered a hand, which she accepted. "So, are we done fighting?"

"I don't know," she teased. "Are you done being an ass?"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

Still holding his hand, she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Let's go weirdo. Snape's been in rare form lately when it comes to punishments, and I do not want another two weeks of detention."

* * *

 **AN: Um...I'm sorry. I didn't realize it had been so long between updates until I got a review/note the other asking that I please continue this story. I'm a full-time student and work part-time at a fairly demanding job. Once homework is done, I'm pretty tired. I'll work on updating more regularly, but I can't promise anything. Life happens, ya know?**

 **Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait. Plot-wise, things will start picking up again next chapter. Thanks to those who have reviewed and those who have stuck around. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The remainder of the school year passed by in blur for Anya and, thankfully, there were no more major upheavals in her life. By June, her biggest concern was final exams. And after the winter she had had, exams were hardly as concerning as they had been in the past. Kat, however, didn't share her blasé attitude. She was unusually determined to do well. Anya didn't mind Kat wanting to do well, it was actually a nice change, but she could not support the near-mania Kat was in once she revealed their dual study plan.

"This has us studying every minute of the day when we're not in classes," Anya said, completely aghast as she looked over the crinkled parchment. "We can't do this. I need more sleep than this plan gives. _You_ definitely need more sleep than this."

"But I have to pass these exams, if I don't —" She stopped, her eyes widened in panic.

Anya, who was sitting across from Kat on one of the couches in the common room, angled herself to face Kat better. "If you don't what? You always do well; why are you panicking?"

Kat slumped in her seat, looking more worried than Anya had ever seen. "If I don't pass the exams, Dad might not let me come back next year," she explained quietly.

"What? Why?"

"It's the deal we made. He wanted me to come home months ago, but I fought him on it. He said he would give me until the end of this year and let me finish my seventh year if my exam scores improved from last year."

Anya suppressed a grimace, recalling Kat only managed three Outstanding's. But her other scores were all passing marks. Unfortunately, anything less than an E wasn't good enough for Kat's dad. "Why would he want to pull you out now, though? Nothing's happened in months.

Kat shrugged. "My mum's back in town. It's probably all part of their power struggle."

They sat in silence while Anya tried to figure out what to say to comfort Kat. "Listen, I'll study with you but not like this," she said, indicating the schedule. "You'll fail if you study like this."

Kat nodded, thankful for Anya's support. They worked out a new, realistic study plan and got work. Kat regained her usual confidence as they studied, and was only reasonably nervous, as opposed to panicking, when it was time for the first exam. By the week of exams, Kat, along with everyone else, was ready for the final task of the tournament.

Of course, they had to take their final set of exams — Potions and Transfiguration — before they could enjoy the final task. However, the threat of exams did nothing to dampen the excite the morning of the task. The Great Hall buzzed with excited murmurs at breakfast; everyone theorizing what the task could entail. Well, besides a maze. It was hard to miss the twenty-foot hedges that now occupied the quidditch pitch.

"Are you ready?" Anya asked Cedric, who had joined her and Kat at the end of the Slytherin table. He had bags under his eyes as if he was the one who'd been up all night studying for exams instead of her.

"A hundred percent," he said with false cheer. "Are _you_ ready?"

Rolling her eyes, she affected a haughty demeanor. "Of course, I'm ready. It's only Transfiguration and Potions; neither will kill me."

"Don't listen to her," Kat interjected as she absently stirred her oatmeal. "She was up until two this morning preparing for Transfiguration."

Anya shot Kat a glare while Cedric smirked in amusement. "Shut up."

While they continued to tease each other, Professor Sprout made her way down the aisle toward them. They fell silent when she came to stop next to Cedric.

"Good morning," Sprout said cheerily. To Anya and Kat, she said, "I hope your studies are going well. I think you'll both be very pleased with your Herbology results."

They mumbled some generic words of thanks, but it didn't matter what they said. Sprout had already turned her attention toward Cedric. "Mr. Diggory, since you are excused from exams, all the champions are meeting their families in the ante-chamber of the hall. Your parents just arrived, if you would like to join them.'

Cedric thanked her and said he would be there in a moment. She nodded, looking almost relieved as she walked back toward the head table. She'd been slightly off during the conversation, Anya had observed. She must not have liked her Hufflepuff champion at the Slytherin table, especially on the final day of the tournament.

Kissing Anya on the cheek, Cedric said, "I'll see you later. You'll do great, but good luck on your exams."

"Thanks." Anya's stomach twisted in nervousness, but she wasn't sure if it was because of exams or that the champions' families were here. She hadn't been expecting to run into James that day, let alone possibly meeting Cedric's parents. Cedric left, oblivious to her sudden distress.

"Everything all right?" Kat asked, noticing her sudden stillness.

She nodded. "We should go down to Potions. You know Snape will knock off points if we're late."

* * *

"Glad that's over," Kat said with a relieved sigh as they exited the Transfiguration classroom later that day. "I think it went well though, don't you?"

"Yep," Anya replied, though she was slightly distracted. As soon as she had turned in her exam, the anxiousness she had lived with all week left her. Now, she felt exhausted and wanted to go crash until it was time for the last task. But a light dinner sounded good, too.

"I'm just happy to be done, honestly," she said. "These exams were worse than the O.W.L.'s."

"They were, weren't they? I thought we were supposed to get a 'break' between O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s?"

"Guess not."

They walked to the hall, still musing over the difficulty of the exams and what awaited them next year. Anya wondered if she would run into James or Cedric's parents at lunch, feeling her stomach twist with dread as she did: Guess it wasn't only exam stress that had bothered her earlier. Seeing James at Hogwarts would be awkward, especially in such a public setting. Though she tried to ignore it, she hadn't missed the whispered conversations around her common room regarding her new family and living situation since the deaths of her aunt and uncle. Her classmates really needed a new hobby, preferably one that didn't involve using other people's lives as entertainment.

It was early for dinner, though, Anya mused. Harry, Cedric, and both sets of parents were probably still busy doing whatever they'd been doing all day. Or so she hoped.

As they entered the Great Hall, they found it to be unusually crowded. In fact, Anya couldn't make out a recognizable face when chanced a glance at the Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs. Anya and Kat managed to get their usual seats toward the end of the Slytherin table. Looking around, Anya realized why the Great Hall was so full: More guests than families of the champions had come to Hogwarts. Anya saw quite a few people who had been pulled out of school months ago casually chatting with their classmates. Apparently, no threat was big enough to miss the final task.

"Think Amethyst came back?" Kat asked, scanning the room.

Anya shook her head. "No, she'd have written if she was."

"Maybe not," Kat countered. "She hasn't written in weeks. Oh! We've been spotted."

Turning around, Anya saw what Kat meant. Harry was waving, rather enthusiastically, for her to come over to the Gryffindor table. Waving half-heartedly, she turned back to Kat with a grimace.

"You have to go over there," Kat said, matter-of-factly.

"I can't. They're surrounded by Weasleys and other Gryffindors. I'll be jinxed if I get within a foot of him," she whined.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. No one will attack you."

"Come with me."

"Absolutely not.

"Why not?"

"Have you seen how many Gryffindors are over there?" she asked playfully.

"You suck," Anya sulked.

"Whatever," Kat sighed. "Go see your dad and brother. I'll catch up with you later."

Anya froze for a second, as Kat's words set in. "Merlin that's still weird," she muttered.

"What is?" Kat asked, looking confused.

"Your dad and brother. I guess I'm still not used it," Anya explained as she got up from the table. "I'll meet you in the common room. We can go down to the final task together."

Her walk over to the Gryffindor table was impeded by crowded aisles. Twice she was almost knocked over when a student got up too quickly. Her palms grew sweaty as she neared the table, unsure of how to act toward Harry and James with so many people around. She'd never had such a public interaction with either of them before. Reaching them, she forced herself to stop worrying about everyone else. They didn't matter.

"Anya, sit here," Harry said, making space on the bench between him and Hermione. She took her seat, still feeling awkward, across the table from James and a woman who had to be Mrs. Weasley, if the red hair and being surrounded by the Weasley children was anything to go by.

"How was your last exam?" James asked, smiling warmly.

"Fine," Anya answered, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. "I'm pretty sure I passed."

"Congrats, then. This is Mrs. Weasley and her eldest son Bill," he said, gesturing to long-haired man on the other side of short women next to him. Anya said a small 'hello' to both as they were introduced.

"It's so nice to meet you," Mrs. Weasley said pleasantly. "James has told us so much about you."

Anya smiled politely, wondering what James could have possibly told her. Bill, who had a mouth full of food, waved in greeting. He didn't pay attention to her long, turning back to a heated discussion with the Weasley twins. James offered her a goblet of pumpkin juice, which she refused. She'd had enough to eat and drink before joining them. He was unbothered by her refusal and returned to questioning her about her exams. This was probably the most relaxed Anya had ever seen James, and it was all an smile did not quite reach his eyes, which held a shadow of anxiety. Anya figured the final task must be causing him extra stress.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" Anya asked Harry, who had a heaping plate of food in front of but appeared to have touched very little. It looked like James wasn't the only one worried about the task.

"Yeah, I think so," Harry said, hesitantly. "I've been practicing a lot of spells. I'm probably more prepared now than I have been for any of the other tasks."

Anya saw James grimace while Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes. Patting James's back, she lightly admonished Harry. "There are some details a parent is better off not knowing, Harry."

"Oh, right," Harry said, giving James an apologetic look. "Don't worry, I'm completely prepared for this task. Ron and Hermione have been helping me practice for weeks."

Anya saw Ron, who was on the other side of Harry, tense. She knew he was worried she would say something about them helping him. She didn't care though; of course, the champions were helped by their teachers or classmates. That was as much a part of the tournament as any other aspect.

"Yes, Cedric's been practicing a lot, too. Though, I can't say I've been as nice as to help him what with exams and all," she said conversationally.

"It's actually been a good review for us," Hermione said amiably. "At least for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms."

The rest of dinner passed by quickly and with only slightly awkward conversation. Finally, Dumbledore stood up to direct them where to go for the final task, which was set to start in an hour. Anya excused herself, wanting to change out of her uniform before heading down to the quidditch pitch. Before she left, she did promise sit with James — and the others — during the third task.

On her way through main entry, she literally ran into Cedric and his parents.

"Whoa! I've been looking for you," he said, helping her regain her balance. "I wanted you to meet my mum and dad."

Slightly red from embarrassment, Anya managed a sincere smile as she was introduced to Cedric's beaming parents. They were clearly very proud of their son, as they gushed over his success so far in the tournament.

"We're so happy to finally you, dear," his mother said warmly. "We've heard so much about you over the years. I was so happy when Cedric told us you were dating."

Both Cedric and Anya blushed at her words, causing his father to laugh. "Come on, love. Let's go down to the pitch and give them a moment."

They waved good-bye, leaving Cedric and Anya in the crowded entrance hall. Cedric motioned for her to follow him to the side, where they wouldn't be jostled or overheard.

"Is everything ok?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low.

"I don't know," he said. All traces of a cheerful and carefree Cedric had vanished during their short walk; his features hard and serious now. "Something feels off."

"Are you sure it's not stress?" she asked hopefully. However, she knew he wasn't. She'd been trying to deny it all day, but she had a bad feeling too — and it had nothing to do with finals. The months of bad feelings had been leading up to tonight, though neither of them could fathom what was about to happen. "Just be careful, all right? Winning doesn't matter; just be safe."

He nodded. "I need to go. They want all the champions there early."

She kissed him chastely, whispering "good luck" before he left. Composing herself, she continued to her dormitory to change and find Kat.

The dungeon corridor was eerily quiet for so early in the evening. Anya figured everyone must have already gone down to the pitch, too excited to wait. Given the emptiness of the corridor and common room, she was happily surprised to find Kat in their dormitory.

"There you are!" Kat said when she saw Anya enter the room. "I've been waiting to go down with you. Everyone left ages ago."

"I just need a few minutes to change," Anya said, grabbing a tee-shirt and jeans off of her trunk. "Oh, I kind of need to ask you for a huge favor."

* * *

Something had gone wrong.

It'd been quiet for far too long. The unconscious Fleur and Krum had been brought out of the maze around forty-five minutes ago. While they hadn't seen much of the third task, what with the tall hedges blocking their view, Anya couldn't shake the feeling that Cedric — and maybe Harry — was in trouble.

"Should it take this long?" she asked, though to no one in particular.

Kat shrugged, looking bored rather than concerned. Anya felt a prickle of guilt for making Kat sit with her, James, and Harry's friends. Despite the welcoming manners of the adults, their Gryffindor classmates had been rather standoffish since they joined the group. Kat, who had clearly dressed to socialize, was beyond bored, but hadn't gone off out of loyalty. Anya would have to make it up to her somehow.

"I don't know," James said, his voice hesitant. Gone was the relaxed façade from earlier, replaced with the familiar stress and worry. "Stay here, I'm going to find Dumbledore."

But Anya didn't stay. She followed James as he made his way down the bleachers to the judges' box, her long ponytail bouncing violently as she tried to keep up with him. If he was bothered by her not listening, he didn't let on about it. By the time they reached the judges, Anya was out of breath and sweaty. As she observed the professors, it was evident they also thought something was wrong. Dumbledore was whispering furiously to McGonagall, Snape, and Moody. When he noticed James and Anya, Dumbledore dismissed the professors and came over to them.

"What's happened, Dumbledore?" James asked.

"I need this to stay between us," Dumbledore directed, giving Anya a pointed look. "Harry and Mr. Diggory are missing from the maze."

Anya's stomach dropped. It shouldn't have been possible for them to be missing. There was no way for them to leave the grounds. Harry and Cedric were, most likely, in danger wherever they were. This was what the warning had been about; Anya was sure of it.

"I'll help with the search," James said in a tone that left no room for debate. Turning to Anya, he said, "Go back to our seats and stay with Mrs. Weasley. We'll find them, but you can't tell anyone what's happened. Understand?"

Anya nodded, still not quite able to believe what was happening. Numbly, she began walking back up the bleachers. She had only gone up a few steps when the entire stadium erupted in a shocked gasp. She froze, slowly turning to face the pitch as curious whispered grew around her.

In front of the maze entrance, two bodies were lying perfectly still. Anya swore her heart stopped. After what felt like forever, Harry began to move, his body shaking as he still clutched the Triwizard Cup and Cedric. She waited for Cedric to react, to get up, but he didn't.

As the horrible truth dawned on her, someone began screaming.

* * *

 **Author's Note: If anyone is still reading, thank you. I know updates are irregular, and I want you to know I won't abandon this story. It should start picking up pace-wise after this chapter. There's lots more to come!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The Hospital Wing was empty by the time Anya made her way up there. Given the commotion on the pitch, she had expected to encounter more obstacles. However, the corridors were empty as she walked to the second floor. The staff must still be busy dealing with the confused crowd by the maze. As she slipped inside the wing, Anya was careful to stay as quiet as possible. She didn't want to be caught.

After letting the door come to a quiet click behind her, she paused to listen. She could hear voices and crying coming from Madame Pomfrey's office at the end of the corridor. Her heart seized in pain again, but she pushed it aside. Anya had come here for a reason. She had to see for herself; had to be sure. She noticed curtains set up around one of the beds toward the back of the room. Steeling herself, Anya began walking toward it, careful to keep her steps quiet.

Anya's stomach dripped when she pulled back the curtain and saw Cedric lying on the bed. Breathing deeply to keep herself under control, she sat down in an empty chair next to the bed. As much death as she had experienced this year, this was the first time she'd seen a dead body. Cedric's face was paler than the white sheets on the bed, the dark red cuts on his skin standing out in sharp relief, and his eyes were still open but were unsettlingly glassy. She wished someone would have closed them. At least they managed to clean the mud off his face, even though it still splattered his clothing.

The disbelief she'd felt when she first saw Cedric lying on the field couldn't be sustained. He was dead. What was left of her composure crumbled as she the realization hit her. Anya had to hold her hand over her mouth to quiet her sobs, using the sleeve of her jacket to wipe away her tears. It was too much; she couldn't go through this again. The compounded grief she'd stored up from everyone Anya had lost spilt out as she sat next to Cedric's lifeless body.

As the intensity of her crying grew, she leaned on the bed for support. In the middle of going to wipe her eyes, she accidentally bumped his cold hand with hers. She froze.

It couldn't be possible. She grabbed his hand to check and was stunned. Even though he appeared lifeless, Anya could feel the lightest flow of a life force from him. She took his other hand and focused all her attention on feeling both his and her life forces. But instead of pulling it toward her like when she fed, she pushed it away and into Cedric.

It felt as if a warm current was rushing through her, almost the reverse of what it felt like to feed. Anya hadn't ever tried to share her life force before. Cedric had said it was dangerous, especially since she was still learning the limits of her abilities. They weren't sure why, but Anya needed to feed more than Cedric when she used her powers, so they'd been cautious with her training. None of that mattered now. She had to try to bring him back; she couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Too soon, she felt current begin to slow. Ignoring the ringing in her ears and dizziness, she struggled to stay conscious. He was growing stronger. She could feel it. She just needed a little more time….

Just as she was about to pass out, Cedric's hands twitched in hers. Hope rising, Anya glanced up at him. He was blinking, disoriented but awake.

Anya released his hands, cutting off the connection, and collapsed onto the bed. If it was possible, she cried even harder, though now it was from relief instead of brokenness. Her whole body ached. It felt as if she'd been thrown into a brick wall, and it was taking all her remaining strength to stay awake. Anya was afraid to let her eyes. Worried she would wake up to find she'd imagined all of this and Cedric would still be gone.

Cedric jerked up, surprised to find himself in the Hospital Wing. Anya thought he looked confused but couldn't be sure since her vision was a little blurry. When he saw her, he nearly jumped out of the bed.

"What did you do?" he hissed. She heard the anger in voice and grew annoyed. He should be a lot nicer considering what she'd done. "You could've killed yourself!"

"Had to… had to try," she mumbled, finding it difficult to speak.

Anya wasn't sure he heard her as his only response was to pull her onto bed next to him. He smelled like earth and sweat. She briefly worried about his smell transferring to her before being distracted by a hand on her head and a familiar current flowing from it. Realizing what he was trying to do, she pushed his hand off.

"No," she said, managing to sound determined despite her voice being a whisper. "You need it."

"Anya, you overextended yourself. You have to let me."

She shook her head. "You were dead, or nearly dead. You need it more. I'll be all right in a bit."

The breath from his sigh ruffled her hair, but he didn't fight her. Anya leaned into him further, listening to the beat of his heart and clinging tightly to his shirt. With each thump, she grew calmer. Eventually, she gave into the exhaustion and closed her eyes.

* * *

Voices started to break through Anya's deep sleep. At first, she thought she was dreaming, so quiet were the voices around her. Then the voices grew louder, closer and she slowly remembered where she was. Panicked, she opened her eyes and sat up in the hospital bed, which she now had to herself.

The Hospital Wing had grown quite crowded since she had fallen asleep. Harry was two beds away or had been. Clothed in clean pajamas, he was standing almost in the center of the room, barely held back by James. He, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and James seemed to be arguing with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. The Weasleys stood behind Harry, their expressions ranging from furious to aghast. The Diggorys stood toward the back the group, obviously perplexed by the scene before them.

Anya slowly pushed herself up into a more comfortable sitting position, not wanting to draw attention to herself. A hand on her shoulder startled her, but she managed not to jump. Turning her head slightly, she saw Cedric sitting behind her, still a mess. He put a finger to his lips, signaling for her to stay quiet. Anya finished sitting up and inched over to the side of the bed.

"What's happening?" Anya asked, in a hoarse whisper.

Cedric shook his head, his frustration showing in his features. "They're trying to convince Fudge that You-Know-Who is back. He refuses to listen to anything they have to say."

Anya tensed. " _Is_ that what happened?"

Cedric nodded, jaw clenching as he turned his attention back to the group. Anya did too, her eyes drawn to the almost-terrifyingly furious McGongall. Her lips had gone so thin they were practically invisible, and she was visibly shaking with rage. Any student would have steered clear of her, but Fudge was making a sad attempt to face her fury. Anya had met Fudge many times over the years due to her grandmother's involvement in politics and charities. She'd never had much of an opinion about the minister. However, she remembered her grandmother saying he was a weak leader and not an especially gifted wizard. Seeing him now, Anya thought coward should be added to his flaws.

"How can you possibly believe him, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked, his incredulity barely masking his fear. "The boy speaks to snakes! He has fits in the middle of classes, and Merlin only knows what's wrong with the girl. They could have concocted this whole thing."

James hand flew to his pocket for his wand, but he was stopped by Dumbledore. "I can assure you, Cornelius," Dumbledore said sharply, "that Harry and Anya were not involved in what happened tonight."

"Excuse me, Minister."

The whole room turned to face Cedric, who had stood up from the chair. Amos motioned for his son to sit down but was ignored. His mother looked nervously between Cedric and the Minister. Anya wondered if they thought he would lose control.

"I was there tonight, Minister," Cedric said with frustration. "The cup was a portkey that took us to a graveyard where I was attacked by Peter Pettigrew — a man that the Ministry swears is dead — not Harry or anyone else."

Fudge's face was nearly purple from rage as he asked, "But did you see You-Know-Who return?"

Cedric paused, an almost imperceptible shudder running through him. Whatever he had been through was affecting him more than he wanted anyone to know. Exhaling, he said, "I saw him before he was fully restored, but I believe Harry saw him return."

Fudge gaped at Cedric, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly as his face grew purple with rage. "No one has offered me any proof!" Fudge yelled, finally managing to say something. "I've heard stories from two teenagers and an insane man. Now, Dumbledore — "

"Here's your proof," Snape snapped, shoving his left forearm at Fudge. Even from a distance, she could clearly see the Dark Mark on his inner arm. There were no surprised outbursts from Snape's revelation, though Anya caught a few pointed looks among the Weasley children and Harry. "An hour ago, it burned black as night. It hasn't done that in fifteen years. The Dark Lord is the only one who could have made that happen. He's back."

"I think," Dumbledore interjected, "we have told you the truth of what happened tonight. You will either choose to believe us and work with us to stop Voldemort from becoming more powerful, or we must part ways."

"You mean to work against me, Dumbledore?"

"No, I mean to keep one of the most powerful dark wizards from returning to his full strength and influence. I have no desire to overrule the Ministry, only to work with it to achieve what should be a mutual goal."

Fudge fell silent. His eyes darted around the room, as if hoping someone would jump up and tell him it was all a joke. When no one did, his shoulders slumped in seeming defeat. "He can't be back, Dumbledore, he can't," he said, almost as if he was pleading with the headmaster. He righted himself and Anya's hope sunk. He wasn't going to listen. "I don't know what you're all playing at, but I won't stand for it. Good-bye, Dumbledore."

They watched him leave, silence following his steps. As soon as the door had closed behind him, all eyes turned to Dumbledore. He surveyed them all, as if sizing them up.

"I believe what Harry, Cedric, and Barty Crouch, Jr., have said happened tonight," Dumbledore began solemnly. "Voldemort has returned. Since we cannot count on the Ministry, we need to move quickly. I need to know where you all stand."

He waited. No one moved.

"Of course, we're with you," James said, breaking the silence. McGonagall, Snape, and Mrs. Weasley followed with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory the last to agree.

"Good. Now …"

* * *

Anya collapsed against the metal headboard of the hospital bed about an hour later. The room had emptied as Dumbledore handed out assignments and sent her peers to bed. The Diggorys were saying good-bye to Cedric, who was being confined to the Hospital Wing for the night along with her and Harry. James had stayed behind, as well. She watched as he did his best to comfort Harry. Given the helpless look on his face, Anya didn't think it wasn't going well. Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and shooed James away so Harry could get some rest.

James walked over to her, taking the seat Cedric had occupied previously. "So," he said, rubbing his eyes, "how are you?"

Anya chewed her lip, really thinking about her answer. "Overwhelmed. Tired. That's pretty much all I can process right now. What about you?"

He sighed. "Despite the odds, both my children survived tonight," he quipped. Anya was tempted to laugh but didn't when she saw the suddenly stern look on his face. "You were very reckless tonight. You could have died."

"But I didn't."

"But you could have," James emphasized. "I know why you did it. Just remember not to lose yourself in the process of saving the people you love."

Anya's faced warmed and she looked away for a minute. Turning back to him, she said, "I have a feeling you spend a lot of time telling Harry that."

James chuckled, a real grin breaking through his stern expression. Madam Pomfrey appeared next to him, lips pursed and holding a glass with a dark purple liquid. "Have her drink all of it," she instructed, handing the glass to James. "She needs to rest just as much as the other two."

Madam Pomfrey left them to check on Cedric, who was taking a curiously long time to finish his dose of the sleeping draught. James grimaced at the potion as he handed it to Anya.

"She's right, you all need to rest."

Anya took the glass from him but didn't drink. "Are you staying?"

The last traces of James's smile faded. "No, I need to get back to London. Sort a few things out before they find some reason to put me on leave. I'll pick you and Harry up from the station in a couple weeks though."

She understood why he had to leave. Even if he didn't have a job to do, it'd be weird for him to hang around, especially since all the other parents were leaving tonight. But she wished he could stay one more day.

"You'd better be," she said, attempting to end the conversation on a lighter note. "I've never been very good at navigating the Underground."

She drank the potion in one gulp, doing her best not dwell on its unidentifiable taste. The potion worked quickly. Within seconds she was sliding down the rest of the way onto the bed, James helping her with the blankets. Her eyes grew heavy, causing her vision to go in and out of focus. Anya struggled to stay awake for just another minute. She wanted to say something to James but couldn't find the energy to get it out. Quickly, she succumbed to the effects of the potion, telling herself it could wait.

* * *

"I can't believe you're not going to tell me what happened," Kat whined two days later.

Madam Promfrey had finally released her from the Hospital Wing, declaring her "well enough" but still unsatisfied as she wasn't positive of what had caused Anya to weaken in the first place. Anya suspected Dumbledore had talked her into letting Anya go on the promise she not over extend herself. She had intended to keep that promise by enjoying the warm afternoon by the lake, but Kat had turned it into an interrogation.

"I thought Dumbledore told you all what happened?" Anya hedged, the familiar unease settling in her stomach as she lied to her friend. Apparently, that part of her life wasn't changing any time soon.

"All he told us was that You-Know-Who is back. He didn't tell us _what_ happened."

"That's all I know," Anya said. She closed her eyes against the sun, hoping it would ease the throbbing in her head. "I don't know the details of what happened."

Kat's silence prompted Anya to open her eyes. The redhead was staring at with one eyebrow raised and a frown on her lips. "Are you telling me that neither Cedric nor Harry have filled you in on what happened?"

Anya shook her head, closing her eyes again. "Cedric doesn't remember much, and Harry…. I really haven't had a chance to talk to him since that night. I don't think he's doing a lot of talking."

"But you believe them?" Kat questioned. Anya heard a change in Kat's voice. It was still persistent, but less eager. As much as Kat wanted information, she wanted confirmation more. Sighing, Anya turned to face her friend.

"Yes, I do," she said firmly. "The breakouts, the deaths and disappearances, the incident at the Quidditch World Cup were all warnings of what was coming. We just couldn't see it."

Anya had hoped to comfort Kat. However, Kat's face darkened as she listened, her eyes dropping to the grass.

"What wrong?" Anya asked.

"Well it's terrifying, isn't it?" Kat replied, her voice growing high-pitched. "I mean, what are we supposed to do? Last time his defeat was a fluke! And what does this mean for Hogwarts? My dad will never let me come back."

"If he believes it," Anya said grimly.

"What do mean?"

"It's like you said, there's no proof. Really, it's only Harry's word. Not everyone is going to believe him." Anya remembered Fudge's hard-headed determination to not listen to the truth. There'd be others like him: People too afraid to see what was happening, and without proof it would be impossible to convince them otherwise.

"So, what do we do?" Kat asked, her voice uncharacteristically quiet.

"Whatever we have to."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

It was the hottest summer Anya had ever experienced and yet she could not force herself to go inside the horribly depressing house behind her. Instead, she and Jasper were camped out on the back patio that, thankfully, couldn't be seen by the muggle neighbors that bordered its three sides. Not that she was doing anything worth seeing; not at the moment anyway. Still the privacy was appreciated; it wasn't something she got a lot of these days.

Her summer hadn't started out this miserable. It'd been far from normal, but not bordering on the edge of torture. As promised, James had met her and Harry at Kings Cross. But instead of taking them both home, Harry was dropped off at their aunt and uncle's house. Something about old magic and keeping him safe. Anya didn't really understand it all. Their relatives seemed rather unpleasant from the brief time she spent with them. She couldn't imagine Harry was the least bit safe at their house.

After dropping off Harry, James had apparated them to his home. It was a cottage-style house outside of a small village. He'd converted his office into a bedroom for her. It overlooked the front of the house, giving her a view of the wildflower garden. The room was pretty sparse since they still had to collect her things from her aunt and uncle's house. Before their deaths, they'd had everything from her grandmother's house moved into theirs. She would have to go get her things soon. She couldn't live out of her school trunk forever. What was there was a large blue dog bed filled with a wiggling, black dog.

As Jasper bounded over to her, Anya dropped to her knees to greet him. She hadn't expected to be so happy to see the dog. He hadn't been hers, after all. But he was something familiar from her old life and helped her feel more comfortable in her new home.

"I guess he's happy to see you," James said, chuckling as the large dog hopped around her. "He's been doing pretty well. We had a bit an adjustment at first, but he's come around."

"Thank you for bringing him here and taking care of him," Anya said, her voice breaking from a wave of emotion. "I know you said you would, but …. It means a lot that you did."

James nodded, looking uncomfortable. "We'll start moving your things in tomorrow — and whatever else you want to bring with you. The cottage isn't as small as it looks."

They spent the next two weeks going through her family's belongings. Anya had to make every decision on what to keep, what to sell, and what to destroy. Between her mother's affinity for the dark arts and her family's spotted past, there were more than a few items that shouldn't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. James handled those items while Anya went room by room deciding on the rest.

She didn't take much, at least in comparison to what was in the house. In addition to her belongings, she took photographs, a few pieces of furniture she was attached to, and random items she found that reminded her of her family members. While they were going through her grandmother's room, she found a set of diaries locked away in a nightstand. She hesitated over what to do with them. It was a huge invasion of privacy to go through someone's diary. But Grandmother was dead. She didn't think it could hurt to look through them. With some guilt, she set them in her 'keep' box and moved on to the dresser.

The diaries were locked upstairs in her trunk. She hadn't had much of a chance to look over them when they'd been forced to flee to Grimmauld Place.

Upon returning to the cottage one evening after a long day of sorting, they were greeted by a strange and frantic black dog, pawing at the door. At first, Anya had thought Jasper had escaped but quickly realized this wasn't Jasper. The dog was shaggier and, when he turned to look at them, seemed almost human. Her suspicions were confirmed when James rushed forward, fear etched on his face.

"Anya, get inside. Now," he commanded, throwing open the door for her and the dog.

The dog turned out to be the animagus form of Sirius Black. He'd just returned from the mission Dumbledore had sent him the night of the third task. He'd said he had been followed for the last few days, but thought he'd managed to lose them. James didn't want to take the risk. He had Anya start packing her things, allowing her to use magic, and he did the same. Within an hour, they'd packed up and were loading an old car James kept stored in the stand- alone garage. Anya thought it was funny for a wizard to have a muggle contraception, let alone for them to escape in it when death eaters may be on their way. But James pointed out that it was the last thing they'd pay attention to and they couldn't travel by magic with Jasper.

The car ride was tense and uneventful. Anya found traveling the muggle way to be beyond painfully slow. Her spirits were not lifted when they finally arrived at the dreary Grimmauld Place after five hours of driving. She'd hoped they wouldn't have to stay long. But it'd been three weeks and she'd resigned herself to staying here for the rest of the summer. What she couldn't adjust to was the insanity of the Weasley family, who had joined them about a week ago. Now it was chaos and cleaning almost every hour of the day.

The kitchen door creaked open behind her, drawing Jasper's attention. Anya didn't look, pretending to be engrossed in her book. Besides, she doubted she wanted to talk to whoever it was. James had gone to the Ministry early that morning and wouldn't be back until later. That left her friendless, except for Jasper. Footsteps scraped the ground as Jasper's tail wags increased in speed. Whoever it was, he really wanted their attention, though not enough to move.

"We've been looking for you," Hermione said, coming into view. She sat down in the metal chair across from Anya, leaning over to scratch Jasper's head. Anya watched her. Out of all of them, Hermione had made the most effort to make Anya feel a part of the group. However, her actions always felt forced to Anya, as if Hermione wasn't sure about her. Even now, Hermione's friendly tones were tinted with uncertainty.

"Couldn't have been looking that hard," Anya observed, closing her book. "There's not many places I could go. Besides, the constant side-eyes and whispers were getting to me." Hermione winced at the bitterness in Anya's tone, prompting Anya to add, "I'm not going to snap and attack anyone, you know."

"We don't think you will…" Hermione started to explain but stopped with a look from Anya. Hermione sighed, the forced friendliness falling away. "Well, Ginny and I don't think you'll attack us. The boys are just being stupid. They can't get past the whole Slytherin thing, but they'll come around, especially once Harry arrives."

Anya sighed, leaning back in her chair. A silence fell between the girls. They watched Jasper as he paced around the patio, sniffing the ground as if he would find something of interest.

"You don't make it easier for them to trust you," Hermione said, turning back to Anya. "You could be nicer to them."

"I wasn't aware of having been anything to them, let alone cruel."

"You know what I mean," Hermione snapped. Her own tone took her by surprise, if her embarrassment was anything to go by. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right," Anya said with a laugh. "At least you're honest. Anyway, I find it difficult to befriend people who insist on talking about me behind my back."

"As if you don't do it?"

"I can promise you, Hermione, I have never once wasted a breath gossiping about any of the Weasleys. The number of Pureblood families may be few, but we're not all obsessed with one another."

"That's fair. I suppose none of us paid you much attention until recently," Hermione said thoughtfully. "But it's not the Weasleys that are bothering you, is it? You've been upset since last night."

Anya glanced away from Hermione, annoyed by her observances. Hermione was right. The whispers of Ron and his brothers didn't really bother. She'd have had to care about their opinions for them to bother her and she found them rather stupid, honestly. What was bothering her had nothing to with what the Weasleys said or did, and everything to do with a conversation between James and his two best friends.

* * *

She was on her way down to the kitchen to get a drink of water when she'd the voices coming out of the parlor on the second floor. She hadn't paid much attention to them at first; the adults were always having discussions around here. Anya going to pass by without a second thought, and then she heard her name. Pausing, she turned toward the door to see if someone was talking to her. But no one was there. Curiosity getting the better of her, she quietly walked over to the door, standing off to the side so they wouldn't notice any movement.

"What do you mean 'should she be here'?" She heard James demand. "What would you have me do with her, exactly? Leave her alone in one the houses where her family was killed!"

"Of course not," a low voice responded, sounding surprised by James's reaction. "I just meant is it best for Harry that she's here?"

"Sirius," a third voice — clearly Lupin's — warned. Anya scoffed. She knew Sirius had a problem with her — what or why she couldn't even begin to guess at — but she didn't think he'd ever try to turn James against her. "I think it's best you let this go."

"No, I want to hear this. What are you saying, Sirius?"

There was a pause during which Anya imagined an uncomfortable Sirius fidgeting in his seat or contemplating what he was about to say. Finally, he cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room.

"I'm simply trying to point out that we don't know her," Sirius started to explain. Even from the hall, Anya could tell he was struggling to keep his tone as calm as possible. "You don't know her, or where her loyalties truly lie. She was raised by a Death Eater, James. A Death Eater who was experimenting on making an army for Voldemort. She could —"

"Enough!" James snapped, causing Anya to jump. Thankfully, no one inside the room seemed to notice the audible creak of the flower. She looked around, checking to see if anyone else was in the stairwell, but it was still empty.

"Anya is not a threat to Harry, or anyone else for that matter," James continued, a harshness to his voice that Anya hadn't heard before. "If that's not something you can accept, tell me now. I'll ask Dumbledore to make other arrangements."

"What? You'll have me kicked out of my own house?" Sirius asked defensively.

"No, I'll take my children somewhere else."

Anya didn't want to hear anymore. Quietly, she backed away from the door and made her way back to her room, the glass of water she'd originally wanted long forgotten. As she climbed the stairs, she mulled over what she'd overheard. Though she'd felt a jolt of affection when James had defended her to Sirius, that was quickly fading. Her stomach twisted from guilt over causing conflict between James and his friends and anger at Sirius for thinking she'd ever harm Harry. He couldn't even give James a motive for why she would, except for her family background. He was being just as prejudice as the people they were fighting against. However, even as the self-righteousness flowed through her, a part of her wondered how many others in the house and Order shared his view.

* * *

"It's nothing," Anya said, her mind back in the present. Hermione and Ginny had been asleep when she'd returned to the room they shared. Given that they had been together, more or less, all day, nothing had happened to cause Anya's bad mood, at least as far as Hermione knew.

"You know what?" She muttered, slipping out of the chair. Her sudden movement causing Jasper to sit up at attention. "We should go out. Explore a little."

Hermione's eyes widened as she pursed her lips together. "I don't think we can," she said hesitantly. "Mrs. Weasley still has some cleaning she wants to get done today, and we're not supposed draw attention to ourselves — or the house."

Anya rolled her eyes. As far as excuses went, those were some of the weakest she'd ever heard. Crossing her arms, she said, "Mrs. Weasley will always have some cleaning to get done for as long as she's stuck in this miserable house. And have you forgotten you're a witch and seventeen? We'll simply alter our appearances before we go out."

"But you're not seventeen," Hermione countered, almost looking relieved as she said it.

Anya shrugged. "Technically no, but it seems someone at the Ministry neglected to update that file. I've been able to do magic outside of school all summer with no harsher a consequence than a cross look from my dad."

Hermione broke eye contact, fidgeting slightly as she tried to think of a reason for them to not go out. The problem was that since they were both, technically, of age, they didn't have to ask permission. More importantly, no one was looking for them. If they disguised themselves, there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, Hermione had to be bored of being trapped in the gloomy, old house. She'd been there about as long as Anya had.

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Hermione said, slowly relenting. "And it'd be nice to get out for a bit. We'd need to go now, though."

"Then let's go. Jasper! Inside!"

The dog bounded toward the door, Anya and Hermione following after him. Not wanting to be caught, they went to a seldomly used parlor on the main level to transform themselves. If it had been anyone other than Hermione, Anya would have been nervous about her performing this type of magic on her. But Hermione was done in a matter of seconds and she only felt a slight tingle. She then performed the same magic on Hermione; giving her a shaggy hairstyle with vivid purple ends on blonde hair, hiding her freckles, and sharpening her facial features just a little.

"We're not supposed to draw attention to ourselves!" Hermione exclaimed, shaking the brightly colored hair.

"Relax," Anya said, observing her own yellow-blonde hair. Standing side-by-side, Anya thought they could be sisters, which meant no one would recognize them. "From what I've seen, it's a very common style. Besides, the point is to not look like ourselves."

Hermione nodded, taking a steadying breath. "All right, let's do this."

They peeked out into the hallway, checking that no adult was in sight. Jasper was pacing around them, sensing something was going but not sure what. Anya shooed him away, afraid he would call attention to them.

"I'll bring back a bone, now go find James," she hissed, pointing in the direction of the stairs. Jasper cocked his head, and for a moment Anya wasn't sure he would listen, but then he shot up the stairs. Though it sometimes made her a little jealous, Anya was glad Jasper had attached himself to another person. Quietly they walked the short distance to the door and slipped outside into the hot summer afternoon.

The girls walked through the park that had an entrance just across the street from the house, enjoying the fresh air and warm sun. No matter how hard Mrs. Weasley tried, Anya doubted she'd ever rid the house of its must and dank air. It was almost as if the house refused to let go of its darkness. Eventually, they came across a market. Having snuck out, the girls weren't really prepared for serious shopping. But Anya had some muggle money in her bag, something James had insisted on in case of an emergency, so they decided to look around.

The market was a mix of art, clothes, and locally grown or artisan foods. Anya wasn't too impressed with the clothes. Most of them looked as if they'd fall apart if you tried to wear them. The art wasn't all bad, but there wasn't anything she could picture buying. She and Hermione spent about five minutes trying to figure out what the piece made of empty wine bottles was about before shrugging and walking away. They did sample a few of the few of food products. The chocolates had a waxy texture which was disappointing, but the artisan baker's pastries were amazing. Anya decided to buy a box to take back, thinking it might lessen whatever trouble they were sure to be in.

"We'd better head back," Hermione said, fanning herself. It was reaching the hottest part of the day. Though Anya hated the idea of going back to that miserable house, she wasn't eager to sweat to death either.

"All right," she pouted, handing Hermione a hair tie she'd found in the bottom of her bag.

The park was fairly empty on their walk back, everyone returning to their work or indoors for shelter from the late-day heat. Still, Anya couldn't quite shake the feeling they were being followed. Every so often, she'd glance over her shoulder only to see nothing out of the ordinary. She didn't share this with Hermione, not wanting to worry her. Besides, she didn't feel as if they were in danger. Whatever was following her, it was familiar. A part of her almost seemed to be excited about the possibility of finding out whoever it was.

As they turned down a new path, Anya was checking behind them again, only to be met with an empty path and an inexplicable feeling of disappointment. She was so distracted that she didn't notice the figure standing in front of them. To be fair, they did appear out of nowhere. It was their own fault she ran into them. Anya was about to tell the person off when she looked up and froze.

"Cedric?" Her voice was barely a whisper. She hadn't heard from him all summer and now he had, probably literally, appeared out of thin air in front of her. Anya's shock turned to anger quickly.

"What the hell!" she yelled, pushing him backward with both hands. "Where have you been? What are you even doing here?"

"Oh yeah, it's you," Cedric said, far too calm for Anya's liking. "I thought it was but wasn't sure because, well, the new look. Gotta say, I don't hate the hair."

Glaring, Anya pushed past him. "Come on, Hermione. We need to get back."

Hermione, still gaping at Cedric, finally recovered enough composure to ask, "Wait, how did you suspect it was her?"

Cedric hesitated and motioned for Hermione to walk and catch up with Anya. When they had, he asked, "How much does she know?"

"The basics," Anya answered, her jaw clenched. She couldn't believe he would track her down like this but couldn't be bothered to write for two months. "He sensed me."

"Oh."

James and Dumbledore had given everyone at headquarters a briefing of what Anya and Cedric were. It was too hard to explain Cedric's recovery any other way and, Anya suspected, they wanted to lessen any worries Order members may have had about her. Anya didn't know if the briefing had helped in that regard, especially given Sirius's feelings, but it had made Hermione curious. She'd probably asked enough questions to write a research paper by now. Anya hoped she wouldn't, however.

"So, what's up with the new looks?" he asked, deciding to ignore Anya's hostility.

"We, uh, snuck out," Hermione explained, ducking her head as her cheeks turned slightly red. Cedric's eyebrows shot up, surprised Hermione would be talked into any form of deceit. Then again, she was usually right there with Ron and Harry whenever something insane was happening at Hogwarts.

"Snuck out of where?"

"Hell," Anya replied drily. "Headquarters, actually. I assume the only reason I'm even seeing you is because you have news about your secret mission?"

"Actually, no. I was looking for you. I didn't even know headquarters was here."

Anya stopped suddenly; Hermione narrowly avoiding running into her. Folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Really?"

"Really. I mean, I've made some progress but nothing worth reporting on yet. My first stop was the cottage, where'd said you'd be. I'm guessing the state of what I found has something to do with why you're here?"

"What do you mean?" Anya asked. "We left because dad was worried about people coming after us. The cottage was fine when we left."

"Well, it's not anymore," Cedric said awkwardly. "I guess James had the right idea. It looks as if there was a battle and a fire."

Anya saw Hermione bit her lip, looking worried. James and Harry were sure to be upset, but Anya didn't feel anything. She'd spent all of two weeks in the house.

"Was there a Dark Mark?" Hermione asked.

Cedric shook his head. "No, but I think it'd been a while since it happened."

They reached the edge of the park, Hermione and Anya coming to a stop. Cedric followed their lead, looking around to see why they had stopped walking. The house, which was slowly forcing itself into view, was protected by the Fidelius Charm. They'd all been shown a piece of paper with the address and Dumbledore's signature on it. But since she and Hermione weren't the Secret-Keeper, Anya wasn't sure if they could get him into the building.

"Do you think we can get him in?" Anya asked, turning to Hermione. The other girl tilted her head, mulling over the situation.

"I'm not sure. You have to be told by the Secret-Keeper. I don't think it works if we tell him."

Her explanation was slow, still trying to puzzle it out. Anya sighed; she wasn't patient enough to wait. "You go in and get James. I'll stay out here with Cedric. I'm sure they have a way to let more people into the house."

Hermione nodded before crossing the street and climbing the stairs to the dark townhome. Even in the daylight it looked gloomy.

"Fidelius Charm?" Cedric asked, leaning against the fence. Anya nodded, copying his movement. Her stomach knotted. She was sure James was already upset over their sneaking out. This was not going to make things better. James hadn't ever said anything to her, but she could tell Cedric wasn't his favorite person.

"So, where have been all summer?"

"All over." He glanced around, making sure no one was listening. Anya thought he was being paranoid. Not one passerby had paid them any attention, even when there had been two of them staring intensely at a house that wasn't there. "Dumbledore wants to know more about the human-adjacent demons. I've been trying to track them down."

"Any luck?"

He shrugged, the movement drawing Anya's gaze. She'd been so surprised, and annoyed, by his sudden appearance that she hadn't really looked at him. His clothes were wrinkled, and she was pretty sure she saw dirt smudges on his clothes. His hair was messy, and actually looked a little dirty.

"I've had a few leads, but nothing has led anywhere."

"So why come here? And have you slept or bathed recently? You look horrible."

The corners of Cedric's mouth tugged upward, forming a small mile. With a look that made her blush, he said, "I knew you cared. It's been a couple days, though. I've been a bit preoccupied."

Anya was about to question him further when she noticed James coming toward them. He looked almost as angry as he sounded last night. As he stormed over to them, Anya realized she may have finally pushed James too far. The knot in her stomach twisted tighter.

"Brace yourself," she muttered to Cedric. This was going to suck.

* * *

 **AN: I know it's a miracle; I finally updated. School is, well, school. It continues to eat up all of my time. However, I've committed to participating in NanoWrimo and hope to make some progress on both my WIP's. I hope you enjoy this update!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

 **AN: Two updates in a two-week span! I can't remember the last time I did that.**

 **Atal23, I hope this lives up to your expectations. I hadn't planned to write the aftermath of their excursion, but your comment convinced me I probably should.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Glamours gone, the girls sat at the dining table as James ranted.

"I cannot believe you two! What were you thinking?" James yelled, angrily pacing the dining room.

After retrieving Anya and Cedric from across the street and sending Cedric upstairs to wait, James had turned on Anya and Hermione. If Anya had thought James had sounded mad the night before, it was nothing to how furious he was now. His face was red, and he kept speaking at a volume she had never pictured him capable of. She'd expected to be in trouble but, instead of feeling guilty, Anya felt herself growing angry. The same could not be said for Hermione, who was practically cowering next to her, looking like she might cry. Anya did feel a little guilty for that. After all, she had convinced Hermione to leave without permission.

"What if something had happened? What if someone recognized you? What would you have done then?" James demanded. Anya was about to explain that since they were both of age — more or less — they could use magic, but he plowed on, not waiting for an answer. "I can't believe either of you would be so stupid, so reckless, as to put yourselves in danger like this! Especially you, Hermione; I never would have expected you to do something like this."

That was it. Anya watched as a tear fell down Hermione's cheek. Deciding she'd had enough, Anya interrupted James's tirade.

"It wasn't her fault. She was trying to make feel welcomed here, and I talked her into going," Anya explained haughtily, some of her own anger leaking out. "Besides, we could have used magic if we were in trouble."

"You're not of age!"

She sighed, already tired of explaining this. "They didn't update my birth certificate, as far as the Ministry is concerned, I am."

Flustered, James muttered something before rounding on her again. "Did you even verify that Cedric was himself before bringing him to the house? He could have been a Death Eater!"

This time, Anya couldn't stop the eye roll. "We didn't even look like ourselves! No one would have come after us or tried to trick us because they weren't looking for two blonde muggles. And I didn't need to verify it was Cedric. I knew it was him; I sensed him before I saw him."

Anya watched as James's lips twitched in a funny way, almost as if what she had said made him uncomfortable. The moment past, and James stopped pacing, something else catching his attention. Slowly, concern replaced anger. Anya and Hermione waited silently, unsure of what where the conversation was heading next. When he turned back to them, he was practically distraught with concern.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Hermione," he said. His voice was quiet, steady; a sharp contrast to what it'd been moments ago. "Will you give Anya and I minute?"

Hermione nodded, quickly slipping out of the chair and leaving the room without a backwards glance. Anya didn't blame her. She'd have left the same way if she could have. Whatever was about to happen must be bad for James to ask for privacy.

"You don't feel welcomed here?"

Anya, who had been expecting him to blow up again, was taken aback. James sounded almost broken as he asked the question. She dropped her eyes from his, looking instead at the dent in the table she'd been tracing absently. She'd only meant to help Hermione when she had said that. Anya wasn't even sure if that's how she felt.

Keeping her eyes lowered, she said, "Well no one here really trusts me, do they?"

"Has someone said something?" James asked, a hint of anger returning to his voice.

She shook her head. "No, it's more of a feeling given off by some. It's fine though," she added quickly, not wanting to cause trouble with the other inhabitants. "We're only here a few more weeks."

Sighing, James pulled out a chair and sat down across from her. Rubbing his eyes, he said, "It's not fine. You should feel just as welcomed here as any of the Weasley children or Hermione or Harry, when he gets here. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…. I didn't think."

"It's not your fault," she said, her tone matching the quietness of his. Anya hadn't meant to bring all this up. James had enough to deal with, and it's not like he could change how other people felt. Still, it felt good to talk about it. It was almost a relief to let him know. Though she could see it caused him some distress, and that didn't make her feel good.

"I'm sorry," she said, breaking the silence. "I don't mean to cause trouble —"

"You're not causing trouble," he interrupted. "I was mad because I was worried you were in danger. Just like I'm sure your aunt or uncle would have been if they were here. And this is all an adjustment period for everyone. We'll make it work."

Though she didn't fully believe him, she nodded anyway, even forcing a smile, which he returned.

"Now," he said, slumping back in his chair, "we need to talk about what to do with Cedric."

* * *

What they were going to do with Cedric, it turned out, was let him stay. James wasn't particularly thrilled about it, but he knew they couldn't send him away. After all, Cedric was still pretending to be dead. It'd be pretty odd if he were spotted walking around London. Not to mention that it'd blow his cover.

They put him in a small room by himself on the same floor as James, which was not all subtle. The twins had initially complained about him getting his own room, especially since Ron still had his own space. Mrs. Weasley reminded them that Harry would be sharing a room with Ron when he arrived in a few days. Cedric did offer to give one of the twins his room, but neither were too keen to trade once they saw how small it was. Cedric didn't mind the size though. During dinner he'd told her, in a low voice so no one could hear, that he'd take the small room over sharing with one of the twins any day. Anya agreed it was the better choice. Living in the same house as the twins could be a lot; she had no idea how their dormmates had made it seven years without killing them.

It wasn't until about an hour after dinner that Cedric and Anya were able to talk privately. With everyone scattered and involved in their own activities, Anya led Cedric upstairs to the parlor where she had heard Sirius and James last night. Not wanting to risk the same thing happening to them, Anya was careful to close the door tightly behind them. She thought about casting a silencing charm, remembering all the tricks the twins had developed, but decided against it. No one cared about they had to say.

"So," she said, settling next to him on the couch next him with her legs stretched over his. "Where have you been all summer? Really?"

"All over," he sighed. "I've been tracking down any leads of my biological father, which started with getting all the information my dad had one him. I'm sure you can imagine how fun of a conversation that was."

Anya grimaced sympathetically.

"Exactly. He didn't know much, but it was enough to give me a start. Unfortunately, I've been going from one town to the other. It turns out he was quite active when he was here. He would show up to a town, find a girl, use her, and move on."

"What do you mean? Do you have siblings? Did these other girls die, too?" Anya asked, shock and disgust mingling in her tone.

Cedric nodded. "No kids, a couple of deaths. He mostly overfed on them. Most of them were sick for a few months after he ditched town. A few have suffered lifelong side effects."

"Nice," Gwen muttered sarcastically. "If you don't have any leads, why did you come here?"

"Oh, that was a lie," he said dismissively. "I didn't want Hermione to know. I do have a lead. I have a name and possible location."

"And they are?" she prompted, too impatient for his games.

"My biological father's name is Damian Krall, and it's rumored that he lives in Romania."

"Your joking. Romania?" she questioned, thinking he must be messing with her.

"Not joking. Actually, Romania is one of a few places he could be but, from what I've learned so far, it's the strongest lead."

"Interesting choice," Anya commented, more to herself than to Cedric. As she thought over what he had told her, she realized there were holes in his story. Even though she could tell he was tired, she needed to know the whole story. "There's more, isn't there?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, brows furrowed.

"I mean there's more you haven't said. Like how you got all these leads? Or why you're trying to track down your birth father?"

Tilting his head back, Cedric slid down the back of the coach a bit. Eyes closed, he replied, "I told you. Dumbledore wants me to track down other demons."

"But why your dad, specifically?" she pressed.

Sighing, he turned his head to face her, annoyance clearly etched into his features. "Because I've learned, through people and other demons who used to know home, that my birth dad is some kind of royalty among his kind. Dumbledore thinks that he'll probably have some kind of influence over if his kind get involved in the war and who they work with."

"And knowing what he knows about us, he thinks recruiting them is a good idea?" she asked skeptically. Cedric only shrugged before closing his eyes again. Anya tried to give him a minute; he clearly needed it. But she couldn't stay quiet long, her inquisitiveness, and worry, getting the better of her.

"When do you leave?" she asked quietly, not sure she wanted him to answer.

"Well," he said, groaning slightly as he repositioned himself, so he was leaning forward and cradling his head in his hands, "that depends on you. I want you to come with me."

Anya was truly stunned now. The part of her that was worried about him being out there on his own, especially on such a dangerous journey, was ready to go without question. However, her more rational side was screaming in her head that it was stupid. She still had a year of school left, and she doubted she'd be of any use to him. Plus, of age or not, James would never allow her to go with Cedric.

"I think you should go to bed. You're tired," she finally said, deciding to not acknowledge his offer — not right now.

"That's not an answer."

"Technically, there wasn't a question," she countered, jumping up off the coach. "You're exhausted. Get some sleep, and we'll talk more tomorrow."

His lips formed a small frown, and Anya felt slightly bad for not giving him a straight answer. But she needed time to think about it ,and had more questions for Cedric. He got off the coach and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"What are you doing?" She glanced toward the door, worried James or someone else might come in.

"I was going to kiss you. Is that all right?" His tone implied she was being ridiculous, which she was because he'd be able to hear anyone coming. Still, she didn't want to give James more of a reason to dislike Cedric.

"Not here," she hissed, lightly pushing him away.

"My room then?" he suggested with a playful smirk.

Rolling her eyes, she slipped out of his grip and led them to the door. He trailed after her, smirk growing more pronounced.

"I didn't say 'yes'," she reminded him, even though she knew what she was doing as led them to his room. Cedric said nothing, his smugness speaking volumes. "You're impossible."

"You love it," he quipped, taking her hand in his. Once again, Anya didn't contradict him.

* * *

Someone did walk in on them in Cedric's room, but it wasn't James. It was Hermione. She'd been tasked with finding them and asking them to come back downstairs. Thankfully, they weren't too indisposed when she found them, though that didn't prevent her from going beet red and stumbling over her own feet as she tried to leave. Cedric fell into hysterical laughter as soon as Hermione closed the door.

"Stop it," Anya said, slapping his chest. Hermione was having a really bad day and it was all because of her. She'd have to do something to try and make up for it. "You're lucky it wasn't James."

She got off the bed, looking for her shirt and pants. The room wasn't big enough for her to have to seriously search for them. However, Cedric's bag, which had been charmed to hold more than its size suggested was possible, seemed to have exploded in the short amount of time he'd been at Grimmauld Place.

" _I'm_ lucky?" he asked indignantly from the bed, still in his underwear and making no effort to move. "He's not my dad."

"Yeah, that's why he'd kill you." Having located both of her clothing items, she slid on her pants. As she pulled on her shirt, she asked, "Are you going to get dressed?"

Cedric groaned before rolling off of the bed and putting on his own clothes. Anya made sure he looked presentable before they left the room, straightening out his clothes and trying to tame his hair. Standing in front the mirror, she did the same to herself. Once Anya deemed them acceptable, they headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Do you think Hermione will say something?" Cedric asked, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard by anyone they might meet.

Anya shook her head. "No, but we probably owe her an apology."

"Why? We didn't tell her to barge in. She didn't even knock."

She glared at him. He was being such a baby. Besides, she may have knocked. Anya was willing to admit they'd probably been too preoccupied to notice. "Fine, I owe her an apology, and a 'thank you' if she doesn't tell."

Surprisingly, they weren't the last ones to reach the kitchen. It looked as if they were still waiting on a few of the Weasley children and Remus and Sirius. Anya and Cedric took their seats at the far end of the table. The further away from James, who sat at the opposite end next to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the better. Anya wondered what this was about. If they'd had something to discuss, they could have done it at dinner when they'd all been together. It seemed odd to wait and reassemble later. Unless something had just happened, or they had just learned of something.

Hermione arrived with Ginny a few minutes later. Hermione blushed furiously when she made eye contact with Anya, and sat down at the other end so they couldn't look at each other. Ginny, thankfully, didn't notice anything. The Weasley boys followed not long after, arguing intensely about something. Anya guessed the heated debate was about quidditch. It usually was. Finally, Sirius and Remus joined them, both looking inexplicably grim.

Calling their attention to him by clearing his throat, Mr. Weasley announced, "We've just received news that Harry was attacked by dementors tonight."

Anya and the other teens all reacted with shock. The boys all went still and wide-eyed. Ron even seemed to pale. Hermione and Ginny both clapped their hands over their mouths to stifle gasps. Anya went still and felt Cedric to the same next to her. She clenched her hands into fists under the table, trying to control her anxiety. Cedric, noticing her distress, forced her to open her left hand, which he then took in his.

"He's fine," Mr. Weasley said quickly. "The problem is that there's going to be a hearing to determine if he's expelled from Hogwarts for using magic in front of a muggle."

"But he was defending himself," Hermione interjected, her tone shocked. "That's allowed!"

Mr. Weasley held up a hand to quiet her. "I know, and we'll be able to prove that. This is Fudge trying to make a point to Dumbledore. Everything will be fine. We only wanted to let you know before you saw it in the paper tomorrow."

"How can you be sure?" Anya asked, regretting it instantly as all heads turned toward her. Ignoring the offended look from Ron, she continued, "If the Ministry's willing to put him on trial for using magic to defend himself, and when he's just shy of his seventeenth birthday, then who knows what they're willing to do."

"She's right," Sirius said, though he was pointedly not looking at her. "They want the public to think Harry and Dumbledore are crazy. This won't be a fair trial."

"Dumbledore will take care of it," James said. But if he meant his words to sound confident or comforting to them, he failed. He sounded desperate, like any parent in this situation would be.

The group fell silent, some exchanging worried glances. Next to her, she could tell Cedric was deep in thought. Anya hoped he wasn't thinking about doing something stupid. She knew he felt he owed Harry for getting him out of the cemetery, and for not being to help Harry during the experience. But there was nothing he could do to help Harry now either, not with his public image at least. If people learned Cedric was alive, it would only make things worse for everyone. No one would believe Harry and Dumbledore's warning, and people would start to wonder about Cedric. They were all going to have to trust Dumbledore to handle it.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, breaking through the tense silence. "Why don't we have something to eat? The girls brought back some pastries from their outing this afternoon. Let's give those a try. Ginny, give me hand."

She didn't wait for anyone to agree with her. Before they knew it, she was out of her chair and disappearing into the kitchen to prepare the dessert. Ginny got up and followed her a moment later, looking stunned from the abrupt change of subject.

"Are you ok?" Cedric asked quietly, his mouth barely moving.

"Yes," she whispered back. "He's fine. It's James I'm worried about. I'm not sure how much more of this he can take."

Anya wasn't sure if anyone else noticed it. If they did, they didn't say anything. However, the constant strain James was under between work, raising Harry, and worrying about Harry — and now her — was clearly starting to take a toll on his health. These days, he was always pale as if he was sick and had bags under his eyes. There was also this aura of weakness about him. It wasn't tied to anything he did, but Anya always had a feeling that he was on the verge of collapse, mentally and physically. Lupin looked better than him most days. She bit her lip with guilt as she realized how much she would make things on him if she ran off with Cedric.

Ginny returned with plates and silverware, which were passed around the table until everyone had one of each. She went back into the kitchen, returning seconds later with a several mugs and was accompanied by the levitating pastries. Shortly after, Mrs. Weasley joined them with the rest of the mugs and a pot of coffee. As they ate, some of the tension in the room lessened. Slowly, each group at the table started their own conversation.

"Have you fed recently?" Cedric asked, taking a bite of the pastry.

"No, but I'm doing all right," she added at his look of concern. "I fed not long before we got here and haven't been using my powers."

"You shouldn't push it," he warned.

"I know, but options and opportunities are limited if you hadn't noticed."

He nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "We'll figure something out. This pastry's not bad, by the way. Good pick."

She rolled her eyes. "It's all about eating with you, isn't it?"

He smirked at her words, causing her to glare at him. Sighing, she said, "Merlin, you're awful."

She noticed James watching them, but couldn't quite discern his expression. Feeling remorseful about the stress she'd already caused him and what she might still do, Anya resolved to behave until after everything with Harry was cleared up — or at least to not get caught.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The adults immediately set to work on how to handle the situation with Harry, though they still refused to allow any of the teens to help. Instead, Mrs. Weasley continued to keep them busy cleaning the house, ensuring they were too pre-occupied to even attempt to eavesdrop let alone research anything that might help with Harry's trial. Despite their exhaustion, however, Cedric had somehow managed to get ahold of some old disciplinary hearings and Hermione had assigned them all readings.

Given that the twins had barely completed their assignments in school, Anya had been shocked that they'd even opened the books for the cases Hermione handed them. They soon switched to providing food and reminding everyone to break for the night, though. This kind of research just wasn't for them. Ginny and Ron put in more effort, but often passed out before finishing their nightly reading. So it was usually Hermione, Anya, and Cedric up until midnight or later, trying to find something that would help clear Harry.

Anya put forward a good face, pretending to believe their work mattered. Deep down, though, she knew it did't. If they had proof or a reliable source that could vouch for Harry and say he acted in self-defense, then she would have had more hope for the case. As it was, Anya thought it would take a miracle for the Ministry to not expel him. She read the papers. Fudge and his people were hell-bent on destroying Harry's reputation. This case is exactly what they needed.

She set the case she'd been attempting to read for the last hour next to her on the bed. Stretching out, she said, "It's no use. We're not going to find anything."

Cedric glanced up from the floor where he'd been reading his own case, a hint of smile playing on his lips. "How do you know? You haven't even finished your case."

"Maybe not this one, but I've read a total of ten and they're all useless. All these underage witches and wizards were able to prove they'd used magic in self-defense because the thing or person they'd used it against was still there or there'd been a reliable witness. Oddly enough, there's not a case of a kid being attacked by a dementor and the Ministry dedicating all its efforts to discredit that kid."

"Harry will always have supporters in the Ministry," Cedric stated matter-of-factly. "They just may not always be open about it."

"Lot of good that'll do us," Anya muttered, rolling onto her stomach. It all felt so pointless. Though she knew the Order was working hard, it didn't seem to matter. Voldemort was still out there, growing stronger, while the wizarding world remained dedicated to ignoring the rise in disappearances and attacks from dark creatures.

"You're in a mood," Cedric observed, setting down his own case. "Something happen?"

Anya sighed, but before she could say anything, a muffled outburst made its way through the floorboards. She couldn't make out exactly what was said, but she'd been living here long enough to know that it wasn't a Weasley or Hermione. Harry must have arrived.

"Come on," Anya said, sliding off of the bed. "Let's go see what that's about."

Despite his expressed dedication to the research, Cedric got up and quickly followed her downstairs to Ron's room. Anya didn't bother with knocking when she reached the room. It didn't seem necessary after the initial outburst and the one that had occurred while they were walking.

"It's about time you got here," she said by way of a greeting as she and Cedric marched into the room.

He accepted her hug before awkwardly shaking Cedric's hand. "What are you doing here?" he asked Cedric, eye brow raised. "I thought you were supposed to be in hiding?"

Cedric shrugged. "Considering we can't leave the house, I basically am."

"You're not allowed to leave?"

"Oh yeah, we are all lockdown. All we get to do is clean," Anya explained, sitting on the end of Harry's bed. At least she assumed it was his bed, given that the other had obviously not been made in days.

"Told you," Ron muttered audibly. His sulky demeanor lifted a little as Anya's words seemed to have proven something. Anya was starting to clue into what all the shouting had been about.

"So you really know nothing? No one's doing anything to stop Voldemort?" Harry demanded, searching their faces for signs of deception.

"The Order is doing something," Hermione said hesitantly. Clearly, she was worried Harry would explode again. "We just don't know what they're doing."

"Why not?"

"Because even though most of us are of age or about to be, they insist on treating us all like children," Anya answered, her annoyance seeping into her words. "Honestly, I think the rest of them are too afraid of Mrs. Weasley to even try to include us. No offense, Ron."

"No, you're probably right," Ron said slowly, as if the thought hadn't occurred to him.

Harry slumped into a wooden chair that had been pulled out from the old desk. Miserable wasn't a good enough word to describe how he looked. He was unusually pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. If it was possible, he looked even thinner than normal. Anya guessed he wasn't sleeping well, and it was probably due to more than just the dementor attack and the looming trial. Her brother looked completely defeated.

Before she could say anything, the twins apparated into the room, teasing Harry about his outburst and enticing them all out to the landing with the promise of gathering some intel. Anya and Cedric held back while the others rushed out of the room. Whatever was being discussed downstairs didn't matter as much to them. Anya may not have been allowed in the meetings, but that hadn't stopped Cedric from involving her in his mission. The others' obsession with trying to eavesdrop on the Order's meetings meant no one was paying attention them, which worked out perfectly for them.

* * *

The attempt to spy on the Order was futile thanks to Crookshanks' s intervention. Though Anya supposed the others should have been grateful since the members of the Order filed out a moment later. Mrs. Weasley eyed them suspiciously before calling them all down to help set up for dinner. The twins and Cedric were instructed to set up the table while the rest were led to the kitchen to help prepare the food. By this time, Anya thought Mrs. Weasley should have realized she was hopeless at cooking, but the woman seemed determined to fix that particular shortcoming. Tonight, however, she was given the task of cutting up the vegetables with Ginny. A simple task that not even Anya could mess up.

"The meeting went long tonight," Anya said conversationally. "Anything exciting happen? Are we heading into battle any day now?"

"Nothing to worry about, just business," Mrs. Weasley replied, her tone light; though Anya didn't miss the stink eye shot in her direction.

Hermione caught Anya's eye and gave a slight shake of the head. Anya sighed but shut up, giving the carrots and tomatoes her full attention. Someone was going to set off Mrs. Weasley. Usually it was the twins; sometimes it was Ginny or Ron. Regardless of who, they were always harassing and begging for information about the Order's actions until Mrs. Weasley lost her temper. It happened every night. Why put off the inevitable?

Laughter drifted in from the adjoining dining room as Sirius and Remus greeted Harry. Anya clenched her teeth. Her mood flipping from mischievous to irritated.

Anya and Sirius had yet to warm up to each other. However, only one of them was actively working to ensure that didn't happen. James must have had a talk with Sirius because he had been making an effort to get to know her over the last few days. Anya, still angry about what she had overheard, had kept her answers short or said she was needed elsewhere whenever he tried to engage her in conversation. At meals, she made sure to sit at the opposite end of the table from him. If anyone had noticed her coldness, they weren't saying anything about it to her. Well Cedric, who was annoyingly observant, smirked every time he witnessed her passive aggressive behavior. Besides his smirking, however, he made no comments on her actions.

Carrying an assortment of dishes, they joined the others in the dining room. Anya took her usual seat next to Cedric, squeezing in between him and Ginny. The table was fuller than usual as most of Harry's guard had decided to stay for , dinner was a rather somber affair as majority of the house's occupants couldn't leave and had little to say to each other. Their guests and Harry made tonight's dinner almost festive in comparison.

"It's almost like they forgot about Harry's trial," she muttered so only Cedric could hear. "Or, you know, the whole reason we're hiding out in this place."

Cedric, who had been watching Mad-Eye and Lupin out of the corner of his while pretending to laugh at Tonks's transformations, switched his attention to Anya. "It's just a moment," he said, keeping his voice low like hers. "They need a break from it all. Given that you're constantly on-edge, I'd say you do too."

"You're calling me on-edge? I'm not the one too busy glaring at two people — who haven't so much as looked at me — to eat. They know what you are. They're not going to attack you."

He clenched his jaw. "I know that, but I also know that they don't trust me."

"Mad-Eye doesn't trust anyone," Anya pointed out. "And Lupin doesn't have anything against you. That's just your demon brain being prejudiced against werewolves."

Cedric's retort was cut off by Mrs. Weasley's raised voice.

"That's enough! They are children! They don't need to know about the Order's business."

She was standing up, visibly shaking from anger, while her husband tried to calm her. On the other side of the table, James and Lupin were doing the same to Sirius.

"Children? Most of them are of age! Cedric's already in the Order! You don't honestly believe he hasn't been telling them things."

"Sirius, that's enough," James snapped, echoing Mrs. Weasley as he and Lupin shoved Sirius back into his seat. " _As the parents_ , we decided that — of age or not — if they're going back to Hogwarts, they're not involved. They'll be involved soon enough."

"They're already involved," Sirius muttered, as Harry nodded vigorously beside him. Anger flashed in James's eyes, causing Anya to tense. Father, son, and godfather were glaring at each other with such intensity that they seemed to have forgotten the rest of the room.

Mr. Weasley cleared his throat, though no one took their eyes off of Sirius and James. Harry's eyes were frantically darting between his father and godfather, unsure of what to do. "I think you all," Mr. Weasley said, indicating the teens, "should head up to your rooms."

He said it with such an unusual finality that not even the twins protested. Instead, they all got up from the table and left the dining room without a word to anyone. After a moment's hesitation, Harry followed the group with a last look at James and Sirius, neither of whom seemed to notice that anything had changed.

The twins and Ginny were already to the second landing when Harry, Anya, and Cedric entered the hall. Hermione and Ron weren't too far behind them, but were far enough away that they wouldn't overhear anything. Anya figured now was a good time as any to get Harry away from the others.

"I'll come find you later. I need to talk to Harry alone," Anya whispered to Cedric. He raised an eyebrow and gave a short nod before walking past them to the stairs. As she watched the others disappear up the stairs, she reached out and tapped on Harry's shoulder.

When he turned around he seemed startled. Clearly, he'd been so deep in his own thoughts that he'd apparently forgotten she was there. Anya paused. Maybe she should just let him be. Today had been a lot for him. Then again, maybe this would be a much needed distraction.

"Will you come with me? I have something to give you that I don't want the others to see."

His expression changed from lost to intrigued and, with a slight nod, followed her upstairs to her room. Her grandmother's journal, the one she had found while cleaning out her aunt and uncle's house, had been safely tucked away in her trunk since she'd arrived at Grimmauld Place. She'd been careful to not let James see it when they'd taken the few boxes of things she'd saved from the house, and she hadn't mentioned it to anyone besides Cedric. They would freak out and distrust her even more. Well James might not, but it wasn't a burden she wanted him to have.

Thankfully, the room was empty when they reached it. She'd thought they might head to Ron's or the twins's rooms talk about what had happened at dinner. Anya let Harry enter first so she could lock the door behind them. She knew Harry would tell Hermione and Ron about the journal sooner or later, but she wanted to control who knew about it for as long as possible.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Harry asked, sitting down on the desk chair. "Is it dangerous or something?"

"I don't think so," Anya said, kneeling down to open her trunk. "But I don't think it'd be a good idea for many people to know about it."

"Why?"

She didn't answer. Instead she stared at the journal, having one last internal debate over whether she should burn it or give it to Harry. The treatment she received after it came out her mother was a death eater would be nothing if this journal was seen by the wrong person. Then again, it wouldn't matter if they didn't stop Voldemort. And this journal helped could help Harry do that. With a deep breath, she grabbed the journals and turned around to face Harry.

"I want to ask you to promise that you'll never tell anyone about this, but I know that's not realistic. So I'm going to ask that you show this or tell what you read only to people you trust absolutely," Anya said.

Harry's confusion deepened. "Why? What is it?"

"You have to promise first." It sounded childish, but she needed him to say it. Anya knew he'd honor his promise as best as he could; and that's really all she could ask for.

After a moment's hesitation, he agreed. "I promise."

"This," she said, handing over the ancient leather book, "is my grandmother's journal."

Harry took the book, turning it over in his hands. "Why are you giving it to me?"

"It's possible that it could help you. It turns out my grandmother and Lilith had more in common in I thought. Like her daughter, she had a few… unsavory secrets."

"Like?" Harry asked, flipping through the aged pages.

With a sigh, Anya began to explain. "She always told us that she was raised by her grandmother. That her parents died when she was young. But that's not true. Only her mother died when she was young. She was raised by her father until she was eleven when her last name was changed to Ravenfeld."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because," Anya paused, taking another deep breath to steady herself. "Because her original last name was Riddle. Harry… my grandmother was Voldemort's daughter."

* * *

 **AN: I am aware that I suck at updating and I am genuinely sorry for the delay. I hope this chapter is worth the wait for anyone still reading. My goal is to finish this by September (because it will kill me if it takes more than 2 years to write). So I'll be putting in more effort over the some to get chapters complete. Hope everyone is doing ok.**

 **If you're at all interested to learn more about Charlotte Thorn (Anya's adopted grandmother), check my fic "Ties that Binds." It short story of journal entries and reflections from Charlotte's childhood. It's been up since 2016, but I recently rewrote it and, I think, it's much better.**


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